The Golden Weapon
by Xardogn
Summary: The Golden People wished for a new Champion, one to save all those fated to be killed. They were created from the hopes of the living people, so that they too might taste salvation. And thus, the Golden Weapon was born. AU. No pairs.
1. Prelude

The Planet knew.

Deep within the earth, the Lifestream stirred, rising to the sense of an impending new threat.

There were whispers across the land, that terrible things were about to happen. The Golden People had long since left the world and could no longer protect it from the wrath of The Calamity.

She was rising again.

Jenova.

It was of course, the arrogant humans' fault, their thirst and desire for power driving Her from Her long-forgotten slumber. They had not learned and now they had spelled doom upon the Planet itself.

It was not like it was defenseless-the Planet had Weapons at its disposal, fierce and nearly-unbeatable creatures that rose from the oceans and mountains to annihilate any threat. They were however, mindless drones and did not distinguish between humans who committed terrible sins, and those who did not.

There were voices in the Lifestream that could not bear that result. They knew Weapon was a last resort, that perhaps in this way, the Planet could somehow be saved from the path of destruction, but it seemed too cruel. The Planet was not the only one victimized by the rampage of these poisonous humans-some of them did only what they could to survive, and true to human spirit, allied themselves with the highest power.

In the end, the Planet could not give up on the humans which plagued it so. Its Golden People cried out, begging that hope still existed, somehow, somewhere. So…their prayers were answered.

A new Weapon was born, but this one born of the hopes and dreams of the Lifestream, one to save instead of destroy. It was a long shot, but none were alive who would know the outcome of this choice.

For now the Planet would wait. And the people would pin their fiercest hopes on this new Golden Weapon that someday, all life could hope to achieve peace.


	2. You are a Failure

Professor Hojo of the Science Research Department always loathed SOLDIER recruitment time. It not only inundated him with paperwork, but also drew his attention from his precious projects to a bunch of soft-headed lugs whose mako enhancements were probably worth more then their internal organs.

He entertained himself with the thought that maybe he would find something unusual and worthy of his notice.

The Science department, of course, got the final say on whether the prospective cadets passed, as mako enhancements were an integral part of the process, and rejection could easily spell doom on its members. Therefore, after the testing for mako receptivity was done, the files were sent to Hojo's (and his scientists) computers, where they awaited the final seal of approval. Or, if one was unlucky, rejected from the program and enlisted into the standing army.

He hit the button on the computer to scroll through the profiles. Average, all across the board. Average. Slightly better test scores. Good receptivity. That one wasn't going to make it. Above average. Normal. Normal. Normal.

Hojo froze in his chair. Had he really seen that, or was it a trick of his overworked eyes? He scrolled back twice to another profile. A cadet, 15, from Nibelheim, of rather short stature. Blond hair and blue eyes-fairly common among people from snowy regions, he would guess-and his written test scores were decent. His physical scores however, were abysmal, and that was putting it nicely. Hojo sneered, surprised the child had even made it this far without being killed.

That's not what caught his eye, though. Hojo pulled up the next page, the one about his mako scores. And they were….his fingers were twitching uncontrollably as he gripped the edge of his desk. Here he was, thinking the SOLDIER exams a waste of time, and yet the perfect _opportunity_ had came out of nowhere.

He feverishly dove into his old archives, bringing up two files: one was Sephiroth's (_his perfect, beautiful soldier) _and the other was Vincent Valentine's. The thought briefly crossed his mind as to whether the Turk was still alive, but it mattered little. The pitiful man was so consumed with guilt he would never make it out of that coffin, and Hojo had made sure of that.

No, he shook his head. That wasn't important. Hojo instead pulled the cadet's profile up next to theirs to compare mako receptivity levels (at least for Valentine, after his experiment). He stared at the screen, astonished that he was correct, though he always was-this cadet's scores far surpassed those of either specimen!

_It is incredible! A true miracle. This boy..this child from Nibelheim has somehow beat my perfect soldier! This is…unheard of. _He gave another look to the profile, but nothing incredible stood out. Nibelheim was a reactor town, but that did not account for anything. How could someone with such amazing mako scores be of so little consequence? Everything seemed to point to this child's weakness, and yet…

That glow had returned to his eyes again, akin to a monster catching sight of its prey. This…he had not felt this fire for a long time. This beautiful, wonderful fire. The cadet would make a wonderful specimen, perhaps a candidate for the continuation of the Jenova project…

Hojo rubbed his hands together, trying to calm his breathing. He was a scientist, and thus not subject to emotional instability like other lesser life-forms. _Time to think._ With mako scores as extreme as these, there would be no way he could fail the SOLDIER program. The cadet was far on the weak side, but after the treatments, that would be a useless observation. His abilities would skyrocket, and while he would still be under Hojo's supervision, his specimen would be far from his reach. No, he needed the boy all to himself. His lip curled at the thought of other unsightly hands tampering with his project.

Shame that there was no war anymore. It was easy to _disappear _a SOLDIER.

An adjustment to his glasses, and then an idea. A SOLDIER was hard to make disappear, but a trooper…troopers went missing all the time. And would be under less scrutiny.

Hojo set to typing on his computer, 'fixing' the scores and suggesting the boy be dropped from the program. His word was law in these parts and now all he had to do was wait.

Who was this cadet again? _Cloud Strife_. He shook his head as he moved along to the rest of the profiles. The names of his projects were so easy to forget.

* * *

This wasn't right, was it?

His gloved fingers curled around the edges of the sink and he willed the little drops to stop falling. This wasn't right. He had tried so hard, but...

_Cloud Strife does not meet the qualifications for SOLDIER._

Cloud Strife was too weak, more like it. He resisted the urge to strike a fist at the mirror, knowing it would change nothing or worse, not even break at all. Cloud did not want to look up right now. His eyes wouldn't stop burning-hell, he couldn't even see anything and holding back any semblence of sound was just making his jaw and neck ache.

He lifted a shaking hand to wipe the moisture from his eyes, desperately trying to compose himself. This was stupid. He couldn't get this emotional over a rejection, what would that tell everyone? _Well, what they already knew, of course._

He gritted his teeth and firmly told that traitorous voice in his head to disappear.

It wasn't the end of everything. He was still enlisted in the standing army and could try again next year, and that may have given him some time to improve and prepare.

_Just..deep breaths, Cloud. Get a hold of yourself._

He walked out of the bathroom, the small paper forgotten on the floor. Each step as he made his way back to the barracks echoed loudly and he focused on that instead of what he read between the lines.

_Cloud Strife was too weak._

* * *

A month or so later and Cloud wasn't sure if the impact of his rejection had lessened any. It still stung to think about so he tried to avoid it whenever necessary, even glaring at people who were careless to bring it up.

He knew he was acting like a child but it _hurt._

And now he was on a mission to Modeoheim to capture the rogue scientist Hollander, where there were rumors the K.I.A. SOLDIER Genesis was hiding out as well. He, as an infantryman, was given very few details on the mission, since his duty was backup, but it had to be very serious to send a Turk and a SOLDIER first class along.

And according to his fellow trooper, not just _any _first class SOLDIER. (But really, was there anything like a _normal_ first class?) This black-haired man was the prodigy of Angeal Hewley, one of the other deserters, himself. It was said that even Sephiroth of all people had taken notice of him. Cloud swallowed, staring nervously at his boots. This man must be good if the great General of SOLDIER recognized him as a friend.

However, these thoughts only distracted him for a little longer as the helicopter really took flight and his stomach lurched. _Oh shit, I was hoping this wouldn't happen…_

But no, his motion sickness plagued him wherever he went and stopped for no one. Cloud focused on his breathing and stared straight in front on him to calm his stomach. Luckily his helmet was on, so the first class couldn't see him staring at the hilt of the sword behind his back.

The SOLDIER in question, however, was nothing like Cloud had expected. For all the intimidating image his uniform held, this man embodied none of it, instead laughing and joking with the _Turk_ of all people-getting nothing but an annoyed look in exchange. He even directed a question towards Cloud himself, who just answered it by shaking his head, not wanting to let the feeling in his stomach overwhelm him and cause him to throw up all over the floor.

"Maaaan, when are we ever gonna get there? I think my leg is going numb," the black-haired man grumbled as said leg bounced up and down. The Turk stared at him, opening his mouth to reply, when suddenly the entire chopper shook.

Nausea forgotten, Cloud gripped the side of his seat, eyes frozen. _Oh goddess please don't let us crash._

"What was that?!" The SOLDIER looked out the window on the side right as there was another, even greater shudder, followed by the awful sound of twisting metal. All of a sudden, the entire thing tipped to the side and Cloud struck the wall, his body at the mercy of gravity and a large metal death-trap. He couldn't see anything but he could hear the Turk and the SOLDIER shouting something at the pilot, however it was too late, they were already spiraling around, and around and down into the-


	3. It Begins

First things first, he was alive. The snow in his face and the pain throughout most of his body told him that. For once in his life, Cloud was glad his helmet was on because it probably saved him from a few concussions. He lay there for a little while longer, investigating his body to see if anything was broken but when nothing was wrong, he slowly started standing up, brushing the snow off of his uniform.

Cloud could hear the SOLDIER saying something but wasn't paying much attention. The Turk, on the other hand, had pulled out his phone and was presumably checking for a signal as he looked back at the wreckage. The helicopter was lying on its side, the mangled planes of metal blackened and smoke rising into the air.

Hell, how had he survived that? The SOLDIER and Turk-whose name was apparently Tseng-were understandable, since it was their job to be indestructible, but how had he and the other trooper survived the crash? They weren't even injured in the slightest and taking a look at what was left of their transport, they really shouldn't be alive.

Cloud shook himself to scare away morbid thoughts and turned his attention to the party leaders. The SOLDIER was looking exasperated-but perfectly fine-and Tseng didn't even have a hair out of place. _Seriously, how does he do that?_

_"_Well, at least we're all in one piece. We'll be alright." The SOLDIER said, smiling back at the two of them.

"Thankfully, we have someone used to this kind of terrain." _Did that Turk just make a joke?_ Either way the SOLDIER shook his head in mock despair. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a country boy…"

"All right then. We would've reached Modeoheim by now if we hadn't crashed," Tseng said curtly, nodding towards the taller black-haired man, who nodded, then grinned.

"All right, follow me then!" The first class pumped his fist in the air and then set off at a good pace. Cloud stumbled a bit over his feet in order too keep up.

* * *

They had been going at it for a while now, and Cloud's helmet was getting warm and sweaty. He hadn't liked the thing in the first place for that reason, and his hair was unreasonably spiky and usually got crushed underneath it. However, he'd been faring far better then the others, who were a good distance away.

The snow crunched underneath his feet, strangely reminiscent of back home. Cloud didn't have too many fond memories of the place, it being a barren wasteland and him being bullied, but it was home, and he'd made a promise there, too. To Tifa, and to himself. That's why he was moving so fast. It felt like, after months of being stuck in last place, he was finally in his element, literally. Cloud Strife was good at this and it felt amazing.

What was also amazing was that he was keeping up with the first class. _Well, he said he was from the country too, and runs like a battery so I'm not surprised…_Maybe the training wasn't useless after all.

"Yo! Don't fall too far behind!" The SOLDIER shouted back. Cloud looked behind him and indeed, Tseng and the other trooper had fallen further behind then he realized. "Hey, at least someones keeping up."

It took Cloud a moment to realize the SOLDIER was talking to him, and he blinked in surprise. Was he impressed by how fast he was moving? "Well, I'm a country boy too."

He kept walking, and the SOLDIER kept talking. Cloud was plenty nervous about a real conversation with a real first class, but something about this man's open mako-blue eyes calmed his nerves. "From where?"

Cloud glanced slightly over at him. "Nibelheim."

The black-haired man started laughing as soon as he said that, tripping a few steps forward. Cloud huffed at the SOLDIERS amusement. He probably thought the name was funny. "How about you?"

The SOLDIER turned back to him, face lit up. "Me? Gongaga."

He had such a swagger as he said the weird name that Cloud himself couldn't help but laugh as well. What sort of word was that?

"Hey, what's so funny about that?" The SOLDIER sagged, deflated from his moment of glory. He really did look too much like a disappointed puppy, and Cloud had to stifle his snickering again. "You know Gongaga?"

Cloud shook his head. "No but its such a backwater name."

"Ditto Nibelheim."

"Like you've been there!"

The SOLDIER shrugged. "I haven't, but there's a reactor, right? A mako reactor outside Midgar usually means…" He paused for dramatic effect, and Cloud knew exactly what he was going to say next.

"Nothing else out there." The both spoke at the same time, looking astonished at each other for a couple minutes, before slowly bursting out into laughter. The SOLDIER waved his hand, trying to catch his breath before turning back to the others.

"Good news, Tseng! Me and…" Oh right, they had never introduced each other. He quickly took off his helmet, glad to be free of that death-trap, and smiled slightly. "Cloud."

"Me and Cloud here are both backwater experts. Oh yeah!" The SOLDIER pumped his fists again and started running off. Cloud followed him, not catching what Tseng shouted after.

* * *

He had never been more grateful for a sudden crash-landing in his life, as Zack-thank Shiva he had finally learned the guy's name-was a wonderful companion.

Cloud was not good at making friends at all. He was too unreasonably shy and far too scared to ever initiate conversation with anyone else. Besides, this was the army, and most people didn't have time to deal with a runt like him. He had reminded himself every night, that once he made SOLDIER like Zack had, everyone would treat him better, but instead he ended up in the bathroom with a crumpled sheet of paper.

But Zack was amazing. Not only did he seem strong and powerful, but he went out of his way to include everyone in his conversation, and had the unshakable charisma to match. Just a smile had Cloud feeling better about himself then he had in years. Zack actually, legitimately, cared, and he thought Midgar was full of assholes.

The two of them made easy conversation as they kept walking down the mountain, though more then once they had to pause to let Zack take care of some local monsters. Both of them had an uncanny sense of where the monsters were-allowing even Cloud with his terrible aim to pick off a couple-which Zack praised him loudly for-so they were all right by the time they reached their destination.

"Phew….Let's wait a bit," Zack sighed, leaning down slightly as they looked over the ridge at the reactor. Tseng and the trooper were nowhere in sight, so Cloud followed his friends advice. It was quiet with nothing but the wind, and he kicked at a bit of the snow with his boots, unsure of if he wanted to say what was on his mind. Zack must've sensed his indecision, as he turned around, silently asking.

"Hey, Zack, uh…" He'd seen the way the SOLDIER had wielded his weapon. A bit flashy for sure, especially his victory salute, but it was sure and strong. His sword-arm was brimming with confidence.

"Hm?"

"Um…what's it like to be in SOLDIER?" Cloud wanted to know what it felt like, to be that strong. To have people look up to you like that.

"I don't quite get the question," Zack said quietly, his face apologetic.

"Uh…" Crap, he'd screwed up.

Quick as a flash, Zack smiled again, reaching down to pat Cloud's shoulder. "Well, once you join, you'll know what it's like."

_How do you have so much confidence in me? You've known me for an hour and I barely come up to your shoulder…_

"If I can join, that is…"

Zack frowned this time, disheartened perhaps, that his new friend was so hard on himself. "Don't sweat it! If I can do it, you can too, Cloud!"

_What did i do to make you say that?_

Tseng and the other trooper had finally caught up, but Cloud wasn't listening to anything they were saying. He knew it was bad, since they had an important mission, and it concerned their infiltration, but Zack was too confusing. He stared at the first class's back, almost jealous that he had what Cloud so desperately wanted, but the feeling couldn't last. Zack was too nice. He barely saw himself as special and even thought that Cloud could one day make it as well? SOLDIERS truly were extraordinary, and not just in physical feats.

In one conversation he had gone to admiring Zack almost as much as he did the General himself.

"…you watch carefully too, Cloud." He shook himself out of his reverie, focusing on the mission at hand. _No time for this now._ He'd been half listening to the plan, which involved Zack sneaking around the guards down at the reactor and stealing items. Offering advice, was he?

"Uh huh." He nodded, and Zack took off, giving a quick salute over his shoulder. _SOLDIER operatives are amazing, I wonder if I really have what it takes. _

* * *

Cloud snorted at the fact that Zack lasted approximately three seconds before alerting the guards to his presence and having to use his sword. Seeing Tseng shake his head he got the confidence up to ask a question.

"Not very good at stealth, is he?"

"No." was the Turk's annoyed replay.

"What are our orders, sir?" Cloud jumped, having nearly forgotten the other infantryman was there.

"Now that Zack has defeated the guards we enter. Search for Hollander. Capture him. Alive…is preferred." Tseng said, drawing his gun. Both of them nodded, and followed the path down.

"You." Cloud turned around. "Follow Zack's…trail. He'll most likely attract a lot of attention and we may find Hollander that way. If you find him, contact me on your PHS."

Tseng didn't even wait for confirmation before running off, leaving Cloud to follow his orders.

Truth be told, Zack wasn't a hard person to track; he left a wake of dead monsters and soldiers behind him as he travelled deeper into the reactor. It was a rather grim sight, but Cloud knew it was necessary. The soldiers weren't normal, some of them even spouting wings, and the monsters were deformed as well. _Just what is going on here?_

It headed, of course, for the elevator. He climbed quickly inside, pushing the button to go down, fervently hoping there weren't any monsters as he was rather inadequately armed. The lift rattled shut, earnestly creaking as it went down, leaving him to suddenly wonder if this building was structually safe at all.

Cloud gripped the metal mesh on the front, willing the groaning lift to move faster, his eyes widening in shock when he saw the scene unfold in front of him. Zack and an odd, black-winged auburn-haired man were crossing swords, while Hollander stood just on the outside, about to run away. The elevator clanged open, and the scientist started to make a run for it.

"Cloud, get him!" Zack yelled as he was locked in stalemate with the winged man, unable to make a move. He immediately ran forward, grabbing around his neck and an arm in an attempt to at least bring him to the ground, but Hollander was surprisingly strong for his stature, or at least had surprise on his side.

In a sudden move, he twisted out of Cloud's grip, knocking the boy back onto the floor. Stunned for a bit, he scrambled back up again, casting a wild glance at Zack and the other man, who now looked to be rather sickly and diseased. "GO!" There was an uncharacteristic note of panic in Zack's voice, and he needed no other prompting.

Hollander took off towards the stairwell, and Cloud raced after him, desperately willing his feet to go faster. _How on earth was this man able to stay ahead of me, he doesn't look fit at all! _The chase had him clanging all the way up the stairs while fumbling in his pocket for his PHS. Cloud tripped on a step, hanging onto the railing to not tumble backwards. Where was Tseng's number?

The phone dialed and he wasted no effort. "TSENG! HE'S HEADED BACK UP TOP!" Not even waiting for affirmation, Cloud desperately took off again, pounding up the rest of the stairs, an angry stitch growing in his side.

He burst out into the wonderfully cold air, taking a few breaths to calm his rapid heartbeat. The wind chilled his skin, which had been flushed from all the running. A few more breaths and he looked up, as Tseng ran over to him. "I'm sorry, I lost him, but I know he went this way…"

_"_It's fine. I spotted him going down the tunnel towards Modeoheim. We need to hurry before he gets away." Tseng said urgently.

Cloud looked behind him. "But Zack…"

"He'll catch up. We need to move." He nodded reluctantly and hoped his friend was alright. He didn't doubt Zack's skills with a sword, but there was something off about that other man.

* * *

The strange monsters kept appearing and attacking them as they reached the deserted village, but Tseng opted to ignore most of them unless they were in his way, leaving Cloud to either run even faster or fight. He desperately wished he was good with a sword for a moment before his immediate thoughts were overrun by survival instinct. Hollander's footprints were fresh in the snow, and Cloud briefly wondered what this man had done to warrant such a reaction, wishing a bit too late he'd paid more attention to current events.

Cloud followed Tseng into the run-down hot springs, finally slowing to a walk when they saw it was uninhabited. He heaved a few breaths in, trying to keep alert for Tseng's sake-becoming a liability for the Turk was the last thing he wanted to do. "He in here..somewhere?"

Tseng nodded curtly, checking each corner before stepping out and continuing. Cloud followed behind him more slowly, checking the rear in case anything snuck up on them. The place was scorched and dilapidated, and eerily quiet compared to the chaos they just ran through. It had him jumping at almost every stray drop of water or creak of timber beneath their feet, wondering when something was going to jump out at them.

Despite all that, it was slightly comforting to know Tseng was on his side-the Turks were scary, but they did their job well, and nothing could sneak up on one. They continued this manner until reaching the inner hot springs (which, for some reason, were still switched on) when Tseng stopped. Cloud glanced at him, questioning, and he just shook his head, pointing at the next room. "He went this way…" The soft way he spoke indicated something was nearby and Cloud began to get a prickling sensation in his neck as well.

Cloud opened his mouth, just about to say something when something _SCREAMED AT HIM TO MOVE, MOVE ASIDE SOMETHING IS ATTACKING FROM ABOVE_. Cloud rolled forward as a large shadow crashed to the ground, scattering ice and dust into the air.

"Not bad…" Tseng already had his gun trained on the man as Cloud looked up, his breath catching in his throat. He was clearly taller then Zack, with black hair slicked back and wielding a massive sword that was about the size of the trooper himself. That wasn't the worst part-what caught his eye the most was the beautiful white wing that sprouted from his right shoulder, much like the one on the strange red-coated man. It floated gently in the air, a stray breeze causing a few white feathers to float down like petals.

"But I'm afraid you'll go no further. " There was a white flash and the massive sword swung towards the Turk, who barely managed to dodge it in time.

"Tseng!" Cloud shouted, but the next shockwave from the sword was more then enough to catch him and throw him against the wall. "TSENG!"

The man whirled around at him-this was Angeal Hewley, wasn't it? _WHY was he attacking us, he had to have seen Zack- _and in a few steps, had Cloud's uniform secured in his grasp. He stared straight into the bigger man's eyes, scared stiff about what he was going to do, but again, something was off. This man's eyes weren't filled with hatred or rage as one might expect, but rather burdened with a deep sadness.

"Tell Zack I'm waiting for him." With that, the man lifted Cloud and threw him backwards. He crashed into the wall and fell hard onto the pavement, just barely missing cracking his head open on a rock. He couldn't tell if the winged man was still around, but that didn't matter, seeing how the entire world was vibrating, and his vision quickly going fuzzy.

* * *

Cloud wasn't sure how long he laid there on the floor like that, but what seemed like hours later, he heard some noises that sounded like a monsters scream. It couldn't be Tseng-he hadn't moved either-nor the other trooper, because, well, Cloud had found his body among the scattered carcasses. He couldn't move, he was really tired…but suddenly, there were pounding footsteps and a rough hand trying to help him up.

"Hey, hey, talk to me!" Cloud blinked a few times, clearing his vision and tried to stand up, only to fall backwards again. Zack had finally caught up and reached for his friend, but he waved his hand away. "We're all right…"

Zack looked like he wanted to argue with that point, but none-the less he ran over in Tseng's direction. _I had something I needed to say to him…_

He may not be seriously hurt, but he was in no condition to be walking, so he left it up to Zack. Zack was strong, he wouldn't lose. Besides, if that really was Angeal Hewley, he wouldn't hurt him.

"Angeal is waiting for you…" Tseng said softly. _That's what it was. _Zack looked back at both of them, clearly worried, but he knew he had to go on.

"You guys stay safe," Zack called before running off in the winged man's direction.

All they could do now was wait.

* * *

_If he focused just enough through all the green light, he swore he could see a girl in a flower patch. She was wearing a white dress and surrounded by a pool of yellow flowers, but Cloud had never seen her before in his life. Who was she?_

_As if knowing that she was being watched, the girl looked up and over at him. For the second time, Cloud felt his breath catch, but for a different reason. She was beautiful, far beyond words, and her eyes were as green as the threads of the Planet. It wasn't just the way she looked, the way her lips curved in a slight smile, a strand of hair slightly shifting, but something was so alive about her, as if the very essence of the Lifestream was poured into her being. She was…connected to the earth. And it was beautiful. _

_"Hello? Who are you?" her voice was soft, wrapping fingers of warmth around his mind. _

_"I'm…Cloud…."_

_"Nice to meet you…." Those green eyes studied his face for awhile longer. "Are you worried about someone?"_

_"Yeah…my friend…I think he's facing something terrible right now…"_

_All of a sudden the light from her face vanished, and the vitality that was ever so present vanished. He began to feel cold, very cold, and the threads began to tighten._

_"You have to save them!"_

_"What? But I…"_

_"Please, or something very bad will happen!" It wasn't just the girl speaking anymore, but several thousand voices at once. It was excruciating and he couldn't hear-_

Cloud jolted up from the floor, his mind still whirling from the strange hallucination. Did he really just see that, or was his head hit one too many times? He slowly felt his skull, but nothing seemed out of place. Turning slowly, he was again struck by the urgency that _something very, very bad was happening, _and he stood up in one go. Cloud stumbled for a moment as the world spun, but he righted himself.

What this feeling was that was driving him on, he didn't know, but Cloud had to get to Zack fast. He started dragging himself towards the doorway, pausing only to look at Tseng. The Turk was in the same place he was left, but there was something suspicious glowing in his left hand. Trusting him to be alright, Cloud pushed onward.

He only had one major incident of falling up the stairs-Zack had thankfully turned the heat off-before Cloud got his legs under him and climbed up the pipes. He could hear angry voices ahead, which did not bode well. _I'm not too late, am I? _

"Zack, I am perfect. A perfect…monster." Angeal was saying to his horrified student, Hollander standing off to the side with a sneer. _What was going on?_

Apparently no one had noticed him for they continued on, Angeal looking ready to speak again, and Zack, for once, terrified. Cloud couldn't stand to see that on his friend's face-it was too uncharacteristic. _How much does this man mean to you, Zack? You are so nice to everyone but he's special, isn't he? _

_"_NO!" He suddenly shouted out, startling everyone in the room, Angeal most of all.

"Cloud! You're okay?" Cloud nodded quickly at Zack, trying to focus on the winged man. "Why are you doing this?"

The massive sword lowered slightly. "What?"

"You're calling yourself a monster, just because you have a wing on your back?" He said, leaning on the doorframe.

The look on Angeal's face darkened measurably. "You don't know what you're talking about."

He took a step forward, and so did Zack, whose eyes darted between Cloud and his mentor, not knowing who to go to.

"Don't you think you're being selfish?!" he shouted, afraid if he didn't talk he'd never get the courage to say anything again. Perhaps it was the knock against his head that didn't make him think straight, but either way, he couldn't hold anything back now.

"I…"

"You're right. I know nothing. I don't expect to, just like I don't know the deal with that other guy with a wing. But I'm talking about you. You and Zack!"

Zack's mouth hung open. He must be surprised, a half-conscious trooper standing up to someone who could probably break him in half with his bare-hands. Or maybe something else.

"Angeal, he's right! You're not a monster, I've been trying to tell you that!" Good. Zack was seizing this opportunity.

_Why is this man so important? I don't know him. I barely know his name._

_"_Zack, do you remember what I said before, about our enemy being all that creates suffering?" Angeal seemed to trying his best to ignore both their words.

"Yeah, but that's not you!" Zack was desperately earnest.

"Why are you so convinced you're a monster?" Cloud's soft voice cut through the air again.

Angeal let out a short sound that could've been something akin to a choked laugh. "I have no right to be among humans anymore."

What could he do? His words were too weak, and Zack was getting more and more unstable by the moment. Which one was he trying to save? Zack, or Angeal?

Something told him if he could stop Angeal, his new friend would be saved as well.

"If you're such a monster, then why didn't you kill me?" He pushed himself off the doorframe and slowly walked in. Perhaps it would take something drastic to shock him out of it. "You could've killed me and Tseng but you didn't. That would've made Zack a lot angrier at you, wouldn't it?"

"Cloud, don't-" Zack reached out, but stopped when he saw the steel in Cloud's gaze. He walked until he was face to face with the winged man, who towered over him. _Don't be afraid._

"You mean a lot to my friend and he's a good judge of character." The sword raised high.

"Good Angeal, show him the monstrosities you are capable of! A beast such as yourself deserves no more honor!" Crap, he'd forgotten Hollander was still in the room.

"Angeal, don't you dare!" Zack shouted at the same time as Hollanders 'kill him!'

"LISTEN TO ME!" His friend was nearly in tears.

"I'm doing this for him. I don't know you, and I barely know him, but he wouldn't be this upset if you weren't important." His vision was swimming again. "Give him the benefit of the doubt, will you?"

Zack rushed forward, shoving Cloud behind him. "Angeal, stop fighting, and listen to me!"

"He'll never listen to the likes of you, he's already made up his mind!" Hollander cackled.

"_You shut the hell up." _Such malice radiated from Zack's voice that Cloud involuntarily took a step backwards.

"Zack…"

Cloud somewhere was crossing his fingers, hoping Zack could pull him out of this.

"..I am selfish. I sent you after Genesis to prepare you for this." The massive sword fell slowly to the ground, but the tip quivered, still ready for battle.

"With all due respect, being selfish is a very human trait."

There was a good deal of science after that one, though Zack did not let up his guard of Cloud.

"Why do you have such faith in me?" he almost sighed. The look in Angeal's eyes was there again. Not the one of burning rage, as one would expect from a monster, but that deep, unfathomable sadness.

"Trust me." Zack begged. "What happened to honor, Angeal? Your comrades? Are you just going to give that up because some nutjob told you to?"

"I don't know if I trust you, but I trust Zack. He always sees the best in everything." _And because of that, you must truly be amazing. _

The sword was wavering between the ground and the air again, eager to choose a side.

"Please. I can't lose you, Angeal. Sephiroth sent me to help you."

The older man's eyes widened as he stared at his disciple. "S-sephiroth?"

"That's what he said! You and Genesis. I'm here to bring you both back!"

Angeal stared down at his gloves, and the sword point finally hit the ground. Cloud let out a long, slow breath he'd been holding, fairly certain the man was no longer going to strike them down.

"Do you believe that, Angeal?" Hollanders annoying voice sounded again.

"YOU!" Zack was furious and pulled his sword, but before he could take another step, a shot rang out. The bullet pierced through Hollander's left calf and he screamed, falling to the floor, as Tseng stepped out from the door frame. _So that WAS a Cure materia…_

"Tseng!" Zack took a step towards him but froze as he pointed his gun upwards, towards Angeal.

"I do not have any orders regarding your capture, but you still pose a threat to the mission." he said calmly.

"Tseng, no, calm down, he didn't-"

"Zack, enough." Angeal spoke up again. "It is true I am a threat, but not to you. I do not wish to rejoin Shinra, but…"

"Then I suggest you leave before I report you." He raised his aim another few inches.

"Angeal, don't just leave again, I want to help you!"

A roar shook through the building, shaking off some stray snow. "Um, Zack," Cloud said quietly, "That didn't sound friendly…"

This time there was a loud crash, a flash of white wings, and silence.


	4. The Rain Will Fall

**Authors Note: Hey guys, I decided to make an author's note at least once, for anyone reading. **  
**Even just so far, knowing people are interested is great, I don't care how many it is. This fic literally started out as me expanding on a headcanon of mine and turning it into self-indulgent fic, but still. **

**I don't really have much else to say other then I'll try from now on to update regularly (ha) on Sundays at least since i have free time.**

**This is the first ff7 fic ive ever done AND first long-fic and a lot of the details from crisis core are kinda rusty so any constructive critism will be great (if its actually helpful) and of course any sort of feedback of if you liked it or not is always welcome. after this point on, it isnt following canon, so we'll see where it goes. thanks, and i hope you enjoy. **

* * *

For a moment, he was flying. He was free of the ground, the screaming of the monsters and the sound of bullets, and was left with nothing but the wind. For that moment, he was floating without a single care and it was beautiful.

Said moment ended as abruptly as the side of the mountain slammed into him. Cloud crashed clumsily into the ground, tumbling away from his would-be savior before coming to a rest face down. By the sound of it, Zack had done the same.

"There's only so many times I can take being thrown into the ground in one day, you know?" He said nastily, pushing himself up and shaking the fine powdery snow out of his hair. Zack was further over on the side, partly covered by a snowdrift, while Angeal was, predictably, standing by looking on with what could possibly be concern.

"I….apologize." Cloud blinked up at him, still a bit woozy from all of his 'treatment', but he was not expecting that out of a man who had been so ready to kill Hollander it seemed, and Zack along with it.

Zack's words got muffled by the snow in his mouth but his protests signaled he was awake and unharmed at least. "I LIVE!" he proclaimed, rising out of the snowbank dramatically.

His two companions just stared. "What, too soon?" Zack's shoulders slumped, and Cloud did as well in sympathy. His friend had been clearly trying to lighten what was now a very awkward mood between the three.

Angeal had certainly noticed the way Zack and Cloud had made no moves to approach him other then standing up, from the uncertainty in his movements, which Cloud didn't know how to deal with. SOLDIERS were always so sure of themselves.

The silence continued, as did the drifting of snow that they had knocked around, and the daylight grew thin. Dark clouds were rolling in, and while it didn't seem cold enough for snow, freezing rain was certainly possible. Breaking the standstill, Zack made the move first, taking a step towards his mentor, but Angeal held up a hand to stop him.

"Zack…." Angeal glanced towards Cloud-who took a second to remember Angeal didn't know his name-and then down at the ground. "I…apologize for my actions in Modeoheim. It was not my intention to bring you to harm."

"Then what was it, Angeal?" The same hint of desperation was back in Zack's voice.

"I intended to die."

Silence reigned again, the look on Zack's face destroying his any attempt to respond. Cloud was himself, startled, having heard that the rogue SOLDIERS had defected to destroy Shinra for revenge. Monsters.

"Why?" Cloud asked the question Zack couldn't.

"I am…was…a monster. And there is no honor in being a monster."

"Yeah well, theres no honor in betraying your friends and leaving them all behind either!" Zack burst out, finally recovering his voice.

"Zack I-"

"No, you listen to me. Out here where we can, and Hollander isn't around. Stop spouting all this crap that you're-SOLDIER doesn't mean monster, Angeal! Would you call me that? Would you call Sephiroth that?!"

The man's slate blue eyes widened fully. "No, but-"

"No, no buts this time. I don't care if you're my mentor, you're listening to me. You aren't a monster! And if you want to _honor _that, you'll stop acting like you are one!" Zack shouted by the end, his voice vibrating high off the rocks and snow.

Cloud looked between the two of them, Zack angry, Angeal, determined and resigned. Neither were giving in soon, true to teacher and student, but Cloud didn't feel qualified to cut in. He'd known Zack for a matter of hours, and Angeal had attacked him the first they met. Whatever the history was here was too much for him to get into.

Feeling powerless was terrible, but it was none of his business, right?

Right?

_Don't be afraid._

"Sir, with all due respect, I would take the opinion of Zack Fair over Dr. Hollander's any day," he said softly. Both of the taller men looked over to him, obviously surprised to still find him there._ What did they think, I was just going to run away? _

Slowly, Angeal began to laugh. It was short and mocking, and echoed nearly as bad as Zack's voice. Both of them stared at the winged man, unsure of how to react. Zack apparently thought his mentor had lost his mind but further inspection proved the tension had dropped from his shoulders and his face was no longer twisted from whatever pain plagued him.

"Thank you Zack." A genuine smile crossed Angeals face, beckoning one from his student again.

"And don't you go forgetting it either!" Zack laughed and suddenly leaped at Angeal, folding him in a giant bear hug. "You're back, you're really back!"

Zack's enthusiasm brought a small grin to Cloud's own face, which he quickly covered with a gloved hand. Angeal soon wrestled his way out of his students grasp-though he wasn't nearly as energetic as he could have been-and turned his eyes to the unusual third wheel.

"And I suppose I should thank you too…" He paused.

"Cloud," he supplied, dipping his head a little like he did when Zack asked.

"Cloud. Thank you. I do not know you well, but your words were very, um, effective." Angeal nodded back at him. Zack jumped back to him, probably guilty for leaving his new companion out in the cold. "He's my new friend, so of course he's smart! You think my judgement is that bad?"

"Zack, you are friendly to everyone, so I cannot tell the difference between casual acquaintance and actual friend," the larger man chided softly. The younger man's deflated look could only mean the man was teasing. _Thank god he's getting back to normal, at least._

Feeling rather out of place, Cloud looked up again at the sky, which was still darkening already. "I think its going to rain."

Both of them turned to him. "You can predict the weather, spiky?"

"Sort of. And don't call me that, Zack," he leveled his best impression of the General's stare (which failed miserably, judging from the snickers)

"Getting that familiar with your superiors already, are you?" A large warm arm wrapped around his neck, drawing him close. "Come ooon, Cloud lighten up! We may have just met but we are still friends!"

One look at Zack's open shining eyes and Cloud could believe that.

A distant rumble and sure enough, the rain began to fall. Zack looked up, some of the droplets falling and rolling down his cheeks. "Well what do you know. Cloud really can predict the weather!"

The three of them stood still for awhile, letting the rain wash down on them. Cloud felt the comforting embrace of his friends arm, and even Angeal's wing glistened softly with the water. Perhaps things , somehow, could be alright.

* * *

_I saved him, didn't I? Just me, Cloud. You said something terrible would happen, but this doesn't feel terrible. Does that mean I saved Zack's friend?_

_I don't think I'm strong enough to do this, but he's still here. It's only going to get worse from now on, isn't it?_

_This might be a time where I actually start to pray._

* * *

There was only so much staring at the rain they could do before the physical stress all three of them had been put through began to take its toll. Cloud was thankful that the fog in his head had disappeared, but he was still bruised and hurt all over. Zack was getting soaked, and Angeal was not well, to say the least.

"We need to get out of here." Quickly, Angeal-Cloud wasn't sure what else to call him-took charge, with a worried glance back in the direction of Modeoheim.

"Right." Zack quickly searched around, presumably for his sword, sighing when he couldn't find it. Cloud's own rifle had been lost somewhere in the skirmish as well. _Unarmed, in the middle of a mountain range. Lovely. _

They at least had Angeal's Buster Sword, but with the man tiring quickly, Cloud didn't know how well that would last them. Plus, he could feel a sense of something wrong with the man-it wasn't just the wing or the gradually greying hair, but almost as if a stiff, decaying aura lay over him, and it made Cloud's skin crawl.

He shook himself and focused. "I'm, uh…used to this type of terrain so we should probably find a cave that looks like it's uninhabited?"

Angeal turned to him. "Is that a suggestion or are you asking me?"

Damn. He thought talking the man down would help with his confidence. "It's a suggestion…sir."

The older first class smiled slightly. "Good. We head this way. Spread out and search for something suitable but always keep one of us in sight at all times. Careful of monsters."

Neither Zack nor Cloud needed to be warned twice, both of them visibly nervous without their weapons to defend them. The trooper set out to the left of Zack, searching for higher ground. Nothing good was going to be found where they were, and most walking monsters wouldn't go this high up.

Luckily, the rain wasn't a torrential downpour, but he was still having trouble with visibility and almost lost the black blob that was Zack more then once. Panicking, he always found him again a few moments later, but it left him precious little time to actually find cover. Around ten minutes of this frantic scramble and Zack's shouting drew in both Cloud and Angeal. "Guys! I found something! And I don't think there's anything in it!"

"Good job Zack, if you're sure, lets get inside immediately."Angeal said. Cloud didn't get a sense of danger from the cave, which in itself, wasn't really much to speak of, more like a large crack in the side of a cliff, but they took it. A few scuffles and one 'ow Angeal, watch the wing!' later, and the three of them were settled out to dry.

"Thank Gaia you found this place," Cloud muttered gratefully, unwrapping the scarf from his uniform and attempting to squeeze the moisture out of it. He, in his ShinRa regular army uniform, was wearing far more cloth then the SOLDIER firsts, and was starting to feel a little jealous.

"You should thank Gaia I could even _see it, _with all this rain," Zack said, glaring mournfully at the sky. "Know when its gonna let up, weather boy?"

"I said I couldn't predict it, I just know what it looks like when its about to snow, and its not cold enough for that."

"Right, right, country boy, how the hell could I forget?"

"It's been a long day," Cloud said simply and kept wringing out his scarf.

"Where are you from?" The quiet question this time came from Angeal, who was a little ways away due to his new appendage.

"Uh…Nibelheim. It gets really snowy there all the time so I'm uh, used to it." Cloud shook his head, wishing it was as easy to talk to Angeal as it was Zack. The older man was far more reserved and intimidating, and add onto the factor he attacked the boy earlier today…it was awkward to say the least.

Angeal merely nodded, and went back to his own thoughts in the shadows. _Just, weird. _

Zack rocked back on his heels, then sat back to lounge on the rocks, seemingly unconcerned he was soaked in freezing temperatures. Cloud had the advantage of being used to cold climates, but none of the temperature resistance mako seemed to provide its SOLDIERS, and it took everything he had to stop himself from shivering.

* * *

The scarf was nearly dry and the younger first class had dozed off when Cloud's PHS suddenly rang. Instantly, Angeal and Zack were are the ready, both of their attention focused solely on him. He had started at the sudden noise, and now was frozen, his fingers hovering over the offending item.

"Who is it?" Angeal said urgently.

"I-um!" Cloud fumbled for the receiver and looked at the contact. There weren't that many people who would call him but, "Tseng?"

"Who is Tseng-"

"Why is the Turk calling you?"

Zack and Angeal both spoke at once and Cloud looked up at them, startled. "I don't know! I mean, he has my number but-"

He didn't know whether he should answer or not-Tseng seemed a decent enough person but that didn't mean anything now that he'd essentially defected.

"Pick it up." The younger man's voice was all business.

"But I-"

"DO IT."

Cloud gulped and quickly pressed the call button, holding the PHS up to his ear. "Cloud Strife speaking."

"I assume you are someplace safe for the moment?" Tsengs voice was all crackly, but it was there.

"I-yes, for the moment we've found shelter," he said, desperately looking up at Zack and Angeal.

"Good. Are SOLDIERS Zack Fair and Angeal Hewley with you?" Cloud nodded, then quickly muttered a yes when he remembered Tseng couldn't see him. "We're all together."

"Okay then. Put me on speaker phone." Cloud quickly acquiesced, seeing how Zack was about to suggest the same thing, and set the phone on the ground. "Tseng, everyone can hear you now."

"A helicopter arrived and I have taken Hollander into custody thanks to the distraction you provided." Tseng got straight to business. "Officially…Angeal Hewley had been sighted in Modeoheim and after picking a fight with Hollander and his former apprentice Zack Fair, ran away and disappeared before serious harm occurred. The wearabouts of SOLDIER first class Zack Fair and trooper Strife are currently unknown."

Zack had winced at the 'picking a fight' line. "And unofficially?"

"Unofficially, I haven't filed a report to the board or the President yet. As of now, only Sephiroth knows the full details of what happened. I called Strife because Zack's phone would no doubt be bugged."

"Is my existence that dangerous?" Angeal asked.

"You and Genesis were reportedly K.I.A. However, Shinra likes to cover all of its loose ends. Therefore we have unspoken orders to eliminate you so you no longer pose a threat to their image." Tseng's voice sounded flat.

"Hm. So you let me go instead." Was Angeal…amused?

"As I said before, rogue SOLDIER Angeal Hewley escaped before I could do anything." Cloud could only imagine the Turk's slight smirk at this point.

"That however, was not the point." The three of them huddled again around the phone like it was a bright campfire. "Sephiroth wishes to…meet up with you to discuss what to do next, but as you cannot suddenly return to Shinra, he said he has elected to meet you elsewhere."

Angeal said nothing, his eyes widening slightly at the mention of his one-time friend. "Does he have someplace in mind we can get to?" Zack spoke instead.

"It's a long stretch, but Sephiroth said there was a mission request for the General to go to Nibelheim and investigate some strange disturbances at the Shinra Manor and nearby mako reactor. Perhaps you can meet up there?"

Cloud couldn't help but gasp at the mention of his hometown. "Nibelheim! I'm from there!"

"Even better. You'll know the local area and be able to get around." The line went to static for a moment before returning. "I will let the General know you will be making your way to Nibelheim then, I presume?"

"Yeah, we can do that. Right, Angeal?" Zack said, grinning at his mentor, who nodded numbly. "Sweet! We'll be there!"

"Also, I'll be sending one of my subordinates there to assist since neither Cissnei nor I will be able to come without raising suspicion. He's a new recruit, but very clever and reliable, if somewhat unorthodox." Cloud didn't know how to feel about that, but it seemed as though Tseng was willing to help if he was sending one of his agents. Zack looked less then pleased, but agreed anyway. "Got it."

There was a sigh on the other end, masked mostly by the crackle of static. "Good, then the matter is settled. I will not be able to call you again, so I suggest you start out immediately for Nibelheim."

"Aye-aye, sir!" Zack said, snapping his hand up in a salute. What the point of that was, Cloud didn't know.

"Stay safe." The phone let out one last burst of white noise and then fell silent. Only the slight patter of rain broke through the absence, and Cloud reached out stiff fingers to pull back his phone. It was hard to move, with his clothes being damp, and even used to the cold, he could no longer keep out the shivers that wracked his frame.

"Hey, Cloud, you okay?" Cloud looked up to meet the large concerned eyes of Zack Fair, so he merely shook his head. "I'm used to these temperatures."

"Yes, but we are all wet, and you do not have the advantages of Mako." Angeal spoke softly. He glanced over at him, slightly surprised. "You may be resistant, but it's been a long day."

Cloud smiled slightly. "I think I can deal, sir."

Zack, however, was not convinced that easily. "Oh, what is that? Cloud, your lips are turning blue, I'm not standing for that!"

He rolled his eyes at Zack's exaggeration. _My lips are not turning blue!_

"I suggest we wait until morning then, or at least until the rain stops. So you two, warm up." Angeal was smiling, clearly knowing about his students protective tendencies. And was staying about five feet away so they didn't extend to him.

"See? Even Angeal agrees with me." Cloud gave him another glare, and Zack stared back with such a stubborn, scrunched up look that he couldn't help but turn up the corners of his mouth, masking it with a hand.

"Shut up…." It was muffled, but still discernible. The black-haired SOLDIER shook his head, still steadfast, spinning around his bracer until he came across what he was looking for. Taking it out of its slot gently, he handed a small green globe gingerly to his friend. "Do you know what this is?"

The faint warm feeling and glow he got from it was more then enough to answer the question. "A fire materia."

A black eyebrow shot up, but he enthusiastically nodded. "Yep! I don't think you got any training though so here let me-"

Cloud had looked down at the materia, and whispered to it quietly with his mind, willing the gently swirling aura to light up in flames. There was a snap, almost, inside of his mind, and instantly he understood how to draw the power from the glowing ball and make it burst out. Small dancing flames shot up and curled around his fingers before fizzing out as he dropped the materia on the ground.

Zack's eyes and mouth were round. "Woah, Cloud! You did that?"

Cloud nodded slowly, still staring down at the materia. That that connection he made was really weird. It was almost as if he'd talked to it and felt a bit of the Planet itself inside the tiny stone.

"Wow, you must be a natural at this, that's so cool!" Zack's hand on his shoulder startled Cloud out of his daze and he couldn't help but shudder again from the cold. Blue eyes looked concerned as the first class fished up the materia again. "It's okay, I can teach you how to use it properly later. Come here."

Cloud edged slowly closer, retrieving his now cold scarf and wrapping it around his neck. It did little to help, but if Zack could warm them up at least a little with a fire…Zack edged over until he and his friend were nearly touching, and he rolled the materia around in his hands, getting it to light up in a gentle green glow.

"See, the trick here is to activate it just enough so it doesn't burst into flames, but it's still all hot, okay?" Zack closed his eyes and the gentle aura grew brighter, softening the edges on his face. Cloud noticed only then how _young _his new friend was, probably only a couple years older then him.

The first class held out the materia, and he slowly put his hands over it like it was a portable campfire. Sure enough, the warmth spread from his fingers all the way down his arms, tingling with a sense of relief. Zack suddenly sat down fully against the back of the cave-away from Angeal, who was watching the outside-and motioned Cloud to scoot over next to him. "You know, sharing body heat works the best. Come on country boy, its only for tonight."

Cloud was really too tired to argue with the logic of that, and he _was _right. He slid himself on the cold rock over to Zack where it was warm and safe. The heat touched his skin and he exhaled softly, letting his breath drift out like smoke in relief. Tremors still ran up and down his body, but they were comforted by Zack's warm aura. Slowly, glancing slightly up at Zack, who was passively staring at the rain, he slid even closer until the two were touching. As if waiting for him, the SOLDIER slung his arm over Cloud's shoulders, lightly reaching up and ruffling his hair. He weakly protested, but it was too warm and he was too tired to do anything.

He had unconsciously curled up and rested his head against Zack's side, and while Cloud thought it would be awkward, it really wasn't in a way. They were friends, and friends protected each other, even if it was just from the cold. Slowly, because of his large, spiky heating pad, the frost stopped eating at Cloud's fingers and nose and he stopped shivering from the touch of his wet uniform.

Everything was lit with a soft green glow and it was so comforting, reminding him of that strange dream of his, where he dreamed he was talking to the Planet and a pretty girl. Her eyes had been the same color green. _The Planet's pulse…_

No, that was Zack's pulse. He could feel it faintly through his shirt, which was surprisingly soft material. Cloud's eyes drifted closed, as he settled in closer, missing his friend smiling down at him, or the hand protectively holding him closer. It was warm here, and very safe. He could sleep.


	5. Wings of a Monster

**Authors Note: I'd just like to say, thanks so far for all the great words people have given me about the fic, its really made me feel cool about it and is good motivation. I can only hope you'll still like it as I keep going, especially since, as you'll be able to tell, more people are gonna be introduced into the story.**

**I don't know how many for certain will be able to fit but, well, whatever the story brings. I don't know if the updates after this will be as fast since I've caught up to what I've written, but I will try. Enjoy.**

* * *

Tseng stared at his phone for a moment before sighing. There used to be a day when he followed whatever Shinra said without question, as the perfect Turk was liable to do. However, it left a bad taste in his mouth, and he discovered he felt more loyalty to his fellow agents then he did the manipulative bastards who sat back and destroyed everything while they worked to cover it up.

His leader, in terms of 'loyalty to the company', wasn't the shining example either.

It had gotten worse when he had become 'friends' with Zack. The man had a way of creating friends out of hardened warriors. Zack Fair, in his opinion was everything a SOLDIER should actually stand for.

Despite the normal differences in their departments, Tseng saw him as a very good comrade, skilled even when otherwise lacking common sense, resourceful, and always excellent at keeping his teams morale up. It would be a shame to lose one such as him to the preying fingers of corruption.

He was stalling for time; Sephiroth was not a man to be kept waiting, especially when it involved his precious friends. _Though, I wonder, do Genesis and Angeal know he thinks of them as such? _Either way it…displeased him to know he'd probably have to go after them again.

He calmly typed in a few more numbers in the PHS, waiting for it to dial. _Time to put my own plan into motion. _

His contact picked up. "Reno? I have a mission for you…"

* * *

Angeal did not sleep that night, merely watching the rain as it slowly tapered off, and then the clouds, as they as well, disappeared. He couldn't sleep much any longer-the pain from his degradation was taking its toll, and there was nothing that didn't hurt anymore. His wing, as disgustingly beautiful as ever, rested by his side, a constant reminder of his origins. The rogue soldier turned his head back to where Zack and the trooper were curled up, slightly smiling.

Why had they not given up on him, even seeing the sort of actions he was capable of? True, he had not meant to harm either of them, not even the Turk, but he had been angry. So angry…it had blinded him into realizing he had created his own suffering. He truly _had _become the monster Hollander wished him to be, just as his student said.

_And I nearly killed the one person who still trusts me…_

But in the end, it wasn't surprising. Zack was extraordinary that way. At first, he had chalked it up to the boys naiveté, that when he saw the true nature of people and the true nature of Shinra, he would lose that hope that so blossomed in his eyes. However, he had been proven wrong-so wonderfully, beautifully wrong. Despite attacking him and accusing him on multiple occasions, Zack had still not lost that look. He had never, for anyone.

Angeal had never met anyone who so truly and genuinely _believed _in people.

It was the other boy, the blond-haired one, he could not figure out. At first, Angeal did not think much of him. He hadn't wished to hurt the child permenantly, and for his age, he had some surprisingly good reflexes to avoid the larger man's attack, but otherwise, he seemed rather unremarkable.

However he learned all assumptions about Cloud were being steadily proven wrong a hundred times over.

Not only had he stood up to Angeal of all people, especially in his unstable state, he did it multiple times even without knowing who he even was. The boy had told him straight up he was doing it for Zack-a man he'd met only hours ago. What in the world had given him such faith and such tenacity?

The boy was willing to be struck down if only to prove a point to his friends teacher. Angeal was sure that this Cloud didn't know anything about the experimentation or the background of the defection-or if he did, just twisted rumors-and here he was, a willing participant. The older man glanced back at the two, his students arm still curled protectively around the small blonde. Zack had seen something in him as well. It was true that Zack saw something in every person he met, but he sensed this time it was different, in how the young first-class had gotten so quickly attached.

Angeal sighed, folding his wing away until it completely disappeared. He would just have to wait and see. The two young ones had faith in him, and who was he to disappoint?

_Hmm, I see, you're getting old and soft. _Genesis' voice rang clear in his head and he ignored it. There were other things to worry about.

A soft crunch of rock underfoot alerted him that one of his companions was awake. Angeal turned his head slightly, seeing Cloud, his hair even more messed up then usual, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"D' you ever sleep?" Cloud asked. Hmm. Apparently he wasn't as polite in the mornings.

"I do not need as much sleep and it is hard to come by recently," he said, looking back at the ice-rimmed snow.

"Hmmm." Cloud shook himself, and Angeal had to hide a smile. The resemblence to a certain species of bird was remarkable.

"I would've thought you'd have disappeared by now." He spoke the words that had been eating at him for most of yesterday. Why in fact, had the trooper stayed, when he could easily escape this misfortune? "And I would not blame you."

The boy's blue eyes lighted on him in surprise. "Why would you say that?"

Angeal was slightly taken aback. Apparently it hadn't even been an option Cloud considered.

"You have no connection to this business at all. Staying with us-with me, a deserter, only puts you in further danger."

Cloud shrugged. "Zack trusts you."

"And his opinion is important to you?" He was curious, not questioning. The boy cocked his head, as if unsure how to answer.

"Well…he's my friend. And he sees the good in everyone. So if he really likes you, you can't be that bad a person." His face buried itself in his scarf. _So he has seen it too…_

"My only friend," Cloud muttered, soft enough that Angeal barely heard it.

_I see…now I get it. _

If what he assumed about the small trooper was true, Zack was the only friend he has had for a very long time, and Angeal couldn't help the well of sympathy that rose up inside of him. He supposed it was just his instinct from being a mentor since his protective behavior arose at a drop of a hat, or perhaps his student was catching.

_ No, you're worse then your puppy, _Genesis' voice chided again and he brushed it away, mentally rolling his eyes. He was not that bad, yet.

This boy's core of strength surprised him though, especially since this was the military. They were systematically ruthless about picking on the weaker ones, and if one just looked at him, he could easily assume Cloud to be the first target. They of course, had not seen what Zack, and now Angeal as well, had. Perhaps…he could help the boy overcome his self-confidence issues, if only he were to trust him.

_You're staring, Angeal._ Enough.

He turned away, standing up as though he didn't hear that last sentence. "Come on, we should wake Zack and get going." He extended a gloved hand to Cloud, who instinctively jumped away from it.

"I…yes, I'll go do that sir." He scurried off and Angeal sighed. This would take a lot of patience indeed.

* * *

After an exceedingly strange encounter with Angeal, and waking up a rather cranky Zack, the trio were on their way to the only other civilization in this barren wasteland-Icicle Inn. Cloud's stomach rumbled defiantly in reminder of their need to pick up supplies as soon as possible, and he felt horribly vulnerable without a weapon. True, he was with two other first-class soldiers, but Angeal looked rather sick and Zack didn't have a sword.

Angeal was just…odd. Cloud hadn't expect to be talking to him that early in the morning and he certainly wasn't expecting him to say all of that. His suspicions had been confirmed when the older man had asked him why he hadn't deserted, and he'd been a little disheartened to hear Angeal had such little faith in him. Then again, the man had been more curious then anything else and even seemed concerned about his wellbeing.

Which was just weird. Why would he care?

Cloud was just contemplating how nice it was to actually have dry clothes when Zack suddenly sneezed. "Hey, Angeal…where'd your wing go?"

The SOLDIER in question looked at his student. "Do you have a cold?"

Zack merely waved him off. "What the hell does that hafta do with anythin', that wasn't what I asked you!"

"I can make my wing disappear if I wish, now are you okay?" Cloud walked silently behind them, amused by the spectacle. _This must be where Zack gets his protective instinct. _Though, half of that was on the slightly overbearing man himself.

Seeing more of Angeal like this made him less intimidating. He was easily twice Cloud's size and the first time they had met he'd slammed the trooper into the wall, but as time went on he proved to be less scary.

He hadn't forgotten how guilty Angeal's hurt look had made him feel.

"Please, I don't get colds, you know that! Besides, Cloud was _WAY _colder then me!" Zack was saying.

"I've had my fair share of colds when I was little, so I'm immune to them now," he chimed in, smiling slightly.

Zack just groaned. "Gongaga is hot as hell, how am I supposed to deal with this?!"

"You're a country boy, you can deal with it," Cloud smile this time grew real and Zack whirled on him in mock anger.

"What did you say, you little twerp?" The first class was on him in a moment and had him wrapped up in a friendly headlock, even lifting him slightly off the ground.

"Zack, stop strangling your friend. They last longer if they can breathe," Angeal said calmly, as if he was used to this sort of thing happening all the time. Planet, he probably was.

"But he's mocking me!" Zack was dragging Cloud along with him.

"_Zack."_

_"_Fine, fine…" He let his friend go, not before giving him a good ruffle to his spiky hair. Cloud protested, drawing his scarf up around his face so Zack couldn't see the blush that was spreading across his cheeks.

No, he really didn't regret getting into this at all.

* * *

"You called, boss?" A voice drawled as Reno entered the room. Tseng looked up from the computer and nodded.

"I presume you've been briefed at least a little about your mission already?" The red-haired boy was slouched casually against the wall.

"Yeah, for the most part. Man, are they really sendin' me on this thing just 'cause I'm a rookie?" Reno grumbled.

Well trust him to not be pleased, but Tseng did not have time for his characteristic protests. Despite his complaints, Reno took to every job extremely well and was steadily becoming a valued member, even with his blatant disregard for the dress code, which Tseng had, futilely, attempted to correct.

"Officially, yes." Tseng folded his fingers on his desk.

"An' unofficially?"

"Unofficially, I'd like you to do something for me." Tseng drew in a breath. "You will be heading to Nibelheim with SOLDIER General Sephiroth and two regulars. There you are to assist him on his mission, as well as keep an eye on any other suspicious activity."

Reno raised an eyebrow at the final statement. "This got somethin' to do with the whole Modeoheim thing?"

Tseng smiled slightly. He caught on quick. "As a matter of fact, it does. The higher-ups do not know of the events that transpired, but are getting suspicious, especially now that Sephiroth is going on a mission to a remote mountain range he has previously refused repeatedly."

"An' I'm there to see if they're right and put a stop to it?"

"Yes. But that will not be the only reason. What I'm going to say will not leave this room, _do you understand?"_Tseng stared the red-head down. It took a lot to visibly cow Reno, but the gravity of the situation seemed to finally occur to him, and he straightened up.

"Yeah, I got it, yo." His tone was serious.

"In Modeoheim, Angeal Hewley escaped with SOLDIER first class Zack Fair and trooper Cloud Strife and is currently heading towards Nibelheim to rendezvous with Sephiroth. I arranged this meeting. You are to go as my eyes and ears and….help them in whatever way you can." Tseng stated, watching him carefully for a reaction. He did not doubt his decisions, but it could never hurt to be too cautious.

Reno's eyes widened at the new information. "You tellin' me you _lied _to Shinra? An' none of us knew about it?"

"The less people who know, the better. Zack Fair is a friend of mine." And that was all the kid needed to know.

Reno stayed quiet for a moment, surprisingly thoughtful. "Yeah, I got it. Anythin' specific you want me to tell them?"

Tseng smirked. As always, the outcome was correct. "No. Just make sure they stay in one piece."

"On it boss!" With that, Reno flashed him a mock salute and thundered out of the room. Tseng turned back to his computer. It was out of his hands now.

* * *

He didn't know how much longer it was until Icicle Inn but he was getting very, very tired. Cloud's stomach kept up a rumbling sound fit for something from a large dragon and his movements were getting sluggish. He stared at Angeal and Zack's backs and wondered briefly where the hell they got their endurance, even with the younger SOLDIER complaining loudly about his own hunger.

_Well, I'm not a mako-enhanced thug, am I? _Being hungry always made him a bit crabby, as well as the friendly reminder he was nowhere near as strong as these two and probably, just a burden. Seriously, he couldn't even keep up with them on terrain like this! It didn't matter he was hungry, he just had to push through it.

"Ughhhhh, how much farther? Seriously, Angeal please tell me we're almost there!" Zack's complaints were getting more and more genuine and Cloud almost wished a monster would attack them, just to stave off boredom or at least distract him from the pain.

Angeal wasn't too much better off, looking tired from all the exertion. Cloud briefly wondered how on earth they were even going to make it to Nibelheim in this state, if they couldn't even manage a hike to Icicle Inn of all places. It was really just a few miles.

_A few miles after fighting off monsters and the cold. _Seriously, how did Zack do it? He fought Genesis of all people!

"It'll be fine Zack, I think it's just one more mile. Past that ridge." He pointed with a finger and Zack sighed with relief. "You better be right…"

Both of them turned back to their third member and he hurriedly threw on a poker face. "You doin' okay there, spiky?"

Cloud nodded and waved them forwards. "I'm just slow, don't worry about me."

"Alright, if you say so. Oh man when I get my hands on a good meal…" Zack's voice drifted off as Cloud went back to his thoughts. At least they weren't worried about him, which would've been highly embarrassing. He was thankful for Zack's materia trick; it had done wonders to his uniform, leaving him completely dry, so temperature was no longer a problem. His friend had even let him keep the materia, promising to teach him how to use it when they got to a better place.

He gently took the green orb out and rolled it around on his fingers. Cloud had always been fascinated with materia since he was a little kid, begging his mom to take him up to where he swore there was a materia cave in the mountains. She of course, never let him, but the little balls of sparkling light never ceased to amaze him with their power. Holding a materia like this was almost like holding a part of the Planet itself. Perhaps he could try to use it again, just a little?

Cloud was contemplating this thought just as Angeal and Zack's voices grew more and more distant. Perhaps he should've said something about slowing down, but he was finding it hard to concentrate and the earth was starting to move beneath his feet. He was staring at the materia wondering if in his confusion he'd somehow pulled out a Quake by accident.

_That makes no sense, you don't have an earth materia. _The logical part of his brain supplied, but logic was quickly swept aside for attempting to put one foot in front of the other. What the hell was wrong with everything being so unsteady? His head felt like it was rolling in the clouds-_that was a good one-_and spots in his vision were beginning to grow.

Cloud froze suddenly as the spots grew too overwhelming and the snowback drifted up to greet him. He knew he should probably tell Zack and Angeal about the ground moving but he was just too tired…

* * *

Zack knew something was wrong when he looked back and could no longer see a head of bright yellow spikes. Holding out a hand to Angeal, he stopped. "Cloud?"

There was no answer so he tried again. "Cloud? You there, spike?"

_Crap, crap crap, where did he go, was it a monster or did he fall down a crack? NO, there was no noise, I would hear, we would've sensed something…_"CLOUD!"

Zack turned around and dashed back, frantically checking the snow for prints, his own hunger forgotten. "Cloud! Talk to me man, where are you?"

Angeal followed, if a bit more cautious, but Zack didn't have time for that, his friend was in trouble!

His quick eyes spotted a small green glow against the stark white snow, and he darted over to it. Sure enough it was the fire materia he'd given the little trooper, but why was it on the ground? His stomach sinking, he dug a little into the snow and found a gloved hand.

"ANGEAL, I FOUND HIM!" He called not waiting, and half-pulling his friend from the snowdrift he'd collapsed into.

"Cloud, you okay? Come on, talk to me!" Cloud's eyes slowly blinked open, staring at him first in confusion before recognition registered. "Zack?"

Angeal had followed swiftly after Zack called and now was kneeling besides both of them. "What happened, Cloud?"

The trooper lifted one arm weakly. "I'm…not sure. The ground just started moving under me and my vision went all wierd for a moment."

Zack had a sinking feeling in his stomach even as he slid his arm behind Cloud's back to support him more fully. "Cloud, when did you last eat anything?"

His face scrunched up for a little bit before he finally answered. "Uh….before the helicoptor ride. It wasn't much 'cause I get motion sick…"

Angeal looked shocked. "And you've been going on just that? Why did you say nothing?!"

Ohhh, he was pissed. Very pissed.

"I was doing fine 'til everything got all blurry. I don't wanna slow everyone down." Cloud on the other hand, just looked grumpy and annoyed, as if he hadn't face-planted in the snow.

"Do you realize you are slowing us down by not telling us _anything?! _You insist on instead walking until you are dead from exhaustion!" Zack winced in sympathy. Angeal's lectures were usually harsh but Zack had the experience to know he was just concerned. Cloud did not, if his look had anything to say about that.

"Angeal." He said, glaring at him, until he sighed heavily and moved away. Zack turned back to his friend, who was now attempting to stand up. "Woah there, take it easy, we don't want you passing out again."

The steel was in the kid's eyes again. "I'm not weak."

"Hey, did I ever say you were? Frankly, I'm suprised you lasted this long. I know without enhancements I'd probably have Angeal drag me the entire way." Zack smiled, trying to hide just how plain _worried _he was. Seriously! Why was Cloud so obsitnate about this?

Said trooper was silent for a little while longer before attempting to stand up again. "Oh no you don't!" He said, not sorry at all that he was using his strength to keep the kid from hurting himself again.

"Zack stop, I'm fine!" Now HE was angry.

"Fine? You just passed out in the snow! I'm not gonna let you exhaust yourself further, and that is final!" Zack did not care that Cloud was now looking downright murderous.

He mumbled something into the ground, and the black-haired man had to lean closer. "What did you say?"

"Just leave me here, I'm a dead weight…"

Zack dropped him and Cloud landed with a soft thump on the ground. What would possess someone to say something like that? _What had this kid…that's just so terrible!_

_"_Why would we ever do anything like that?" He said softly, pleading to understand.

"It's the army. I could probably name about twenty or thirty people who would leave me to die…" The kid sounded serious too, and Zack stomach twisted. That was not the way army, much less SOLDIER was supposed to work. At least, he didn't think so. Cloud wasn't weak and useless, not at all, but he had such little faith in other people to think like that.

Angeal walked back silently again, kneeling down and before Zack knew it, gathered Cloud on his back, wrapping the troopers arms gently around his neck. "This is SOLDIER, and we do not abandon comrades in need."

He pointed towards Icicle Inn with his head, telling Zack to get moving, who gladly did, after scooping up the Fire materia.

* * *

Angeal steadfastly ignored all of Cloud's protests and continued walking until the buildings of Icicle Inn appeared. The whole piggyback ride thing was a novelty, and he had a sneaking suspicion that the older man was annoyed with him, despite what he had said earlier.

"Zack, you'll need to go in and buy us our supplies, as well as find us some transportation to the lower continent. Got it?" Angeal ordered, passing him some extra gil that he had apparently picked up. Cloud also tried to offer some, but Zack slapped his hand away, telling him to stay and rest. Angeal had put him down, and this time he managed to not faint, but sat down rather quickly instead.

"Got it. I'll get us some weapons too. Anything in particular you want, Cloud?" Zack crouched down to ask him.

"No more guns." Cloud said, exasperated, and Zack laughed.

"Come on, spiky, your aim wasn't THAT bad!" He shook his head. "I get it though. Hey, you wanna be in SOLDIER, right?"

Cloud looked up at him, surprised. He remembered? "Well, how 'bout I get you a sword! Sort of a 'I'm sorry we dragged you along on this and made you accidentally desert' present."

Cloud rolled his eyes. These two made it sound like they had kidnapped him against his will. "Well…learning a sword would be nice. Or….just something like that. Maybe like…." He tried not to eye Angeal's buster sword, though he would've dearly loved to be able to use something like that. There were certain things that were completely impossible for him...

Double swords. That was something even someone of his size would be able to accomplish. "Maybe two."

Zack looked thoughtful for a minute then brightened. "Two, huh? I know exactly what to get you!" He stood up quickly, brushing off his knees, and giving off a casual salute to Angeal. "Don't you guys go anywhere, I'll be back!"

The two of them watched the first class silently as he trampled his way towards Icicle Inn. Cloud would've dearly loved to see the town-he never got out much and everything was new to him-but with his arms and legs like noodles, and a large, angry watchdog, he wasn't getting anywhere.

"I'm not angry, with you Cloud," Angeal sighed, as if he could read the troopers thoughts.

"You were yelling at me." At least talking helped him focus on staying awake.

"I suppose you did not spend enough time around me as Zack does to know…my intentions are mostly harmless. I am merely frustrated that you did not tell us sooner you were feeling bad." He gingerly sat down next to Cloud, almost hesitant.

"That would be admitting weakness, sir." He gritted his teeth, expecting retaliation that suprisingly did not come. He glanced to the side and Angeal had that expression on his face again; the one of a deep, unfathomable sadness.

"I understand, but we are your comrades, and we do not leave anyone behind. You can _trust us." _Angeal but a great deal of emphasis on the last two words, staring into Cloud's eyes. He blinked, shocked. It was similar to Zack's puppy look, but more solemn and determined.

_I…am I really that stupid? Have I gotten that bad with people I can't even trust the two who saved my life over and over?_

He so desperately wanted friends that he didn't want to screw it up and show them how much he could let them down, like with the bridge. Like with Tifa. Zack and Angeal though, didn't care. They didn't care he was just a trooper, that they had to fish him out of a snowbank and carry him for a mile, that he got cold easier. He was Cloud, just like Zack was Zack.

_Don't be afraid._

Angeal was still looking at him, waiting for an answer, and Cloud smiled, the first geniuine one he had shared with the man. "Thanks."

* * *

A few moments more of waiting and Zack came trooping back, carrying a couple bags stuffed full of things, and a couple swords strapped to his back. "Hey guys! You would never guess what I found!"

Cloud really didn't care what he found, as long as it was food and he got it soon.

"Did you know Icicle Inn actually has bananas?" Angeal just stared at his student.

"This is the northern continent, bananas don't exist up here."

"I know that's what I thought but I found them! Look!" He pulled out a bunch, one of which looked suspiciously eaten. "Plus I hear they are great for recovering energy."

"I don't care if they're poisoned, or whatever they are, just give." Cloud said, annoyed. Zack laughed and tossed him the bunch, which landed partly in his lap. Staying away from the half-chewed one, he peeled away another and started eating, watching the other two as they took inventory of what they had got.

"Okay, the potions and ethers are all in here, in case we need them, and I got a couple of antidotes just in case." Zack shuffled around in the back. "Also, some more materia. The place didn't have very good selection, but its good for some low level stuff."

"What about transportation?" Angeal asked.

"Already got it. I got me and Cloud a couple passes on a boat that's going to an outpost on the southern continent where Nibelheim is and they said its a good place to rent some chocobos. You'll uh…have to sneak on or fly or something." Zack said.

"It's fine, I can do that. I may not be a Turk, but I have my ways." Angeal smiled at his student encouragingly. "Now what about weapons?"

"Oh yeah! That place had some suprisingly good stuff for a tiny outpost-apparently a lot of hunters and mercenaries go there for business." Zack took one of the normal-looking broadswords off his back and handed it over to Angeal, keeping one for himself. "So yours doesn't get any wear, tear, and rust."

Angeal shook his head as the other first class turned towards Cloud, who had stopped eating and looked at him in interest. "Oh yeah, and I got you something! You might not be able to use it yet, but I can start teaching you a little bit."

Zack drew out a couple of swords from his bag. The sheaths were attached to each other, but they seemed the same length. Each blade was about as long as Cloud's arm, shorter and thinner then the ones Zack and Angeal swung around.

"You mentioned twin swords and what do you know? The shop had a pair." Cloud hesitantly grabbed them, wrapping his hand around the hilts. They were short, but they looked to be swords he could actually wield. Something possibly a SOLDIER could do even.

"Well, you'll have to learn how to use a normal sword before you can use both of them, but that's what I'm here for!" A large hand clapped down on his shoulder, and Cloud started.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously!" Zack's open expression was hard to deny and he couldn't help but grin in return. Angeal was right, how could he ever doubt him?

"Now drink this." His friend was all business again, and slipped a bottle of some strange red liquid in his hands. "It's got added nutrients and stuff, great for a workout or whatever, since potions don't work on stuff like this."

Cloud glared at him, but knew he wasn't getting out of this one.

With swords strapped to his back, and Zack staring at him to make sure he was eating and drinking, they made good time towards the ocean to get on the boat. Cloud was fairly certain they'd have stayed put for his sake, but they would've been late for the boat. Secretly, he was glad for that. He didn't need anymore loafing around, and he really was feeling better. Still a bit weak, but better.

Sea travel was another story, for he was fairly certain that he was going to throw up everything he'd gotten down, and make his life even more miserable, but it was only for a little while.

"I can't wait until we can go get chocobos, it's so much easier then walking." Zack was at it again. "The trip to Nibelheim will be a breeze, especially if they have the mountain variety."

"I could've sworn chocobos don't like you."

"I'm willing to give them a second chance," Zack said, huffing.

As they arrived and waited for the boat, Cloud could only hope that the rest of their trip wasn't nearly as difficult.

* * *

He could nearly smell the strands of chaos that were winding its way to Shinra right now, and it pleased him greatly. Everything was a bit too boring when it was all in top shape, especially when Reno absolutely hated half of the people who were higher on the food chain.

_Irony, I guess I just love it. _He muttered to himself as he smoothed out his jacket and started to strut down the hallway. He had joined the Turks out of his own free will after all, though he owed more of his loyalty to the occasionally grating Tseng then anyone else.

He'd only met this Zack guy once or twice in their line of business and was curious to see what stone-faced Tseng saw in him. Also, he was bored, and looking after supposedly renegade soldiers sounded interesting enough for him.

Giving a wave and a winning smile to a rather startled secretary, he rounded the corner and took his time getting to the briefing, which was going to be a bunch of talking at him about how he was to follow orders and do what Shinra told him to do. _To hell with that crap. _Tseng's orders took precedence.

Even new to the outfit, these guys were already more of a family to him then anything he had. He'd noticed that as soon as he donned the suit-the respectful, even fearful looks he got, the camaraderie between him and Rude-Reno was loyal to few people but these guys he cast his lot in with, for better or for worse.

And things were going to get very messy, very soon.

The hallway was mostly silent, it being rather late, which was why Reno was suddenly suspicious when he heard another pair of footsteps behind him. He slowed down slightly, but otherwise didn't act as though he noticed it. He was getting close to his destination, after all. Hopefully, creeper would be gone by then.

Except the sense didn't go away, and instead got faster. This was ridiculous. He was in the middle of the Shinra building, near Sephiroth's office, of all places, and yet all of his senses were going off as if he were about to be attacked from behind. Loosening the strap that held his EMR, he slowed to a stop and turned around, almost straight into the nose of Shinra's head scientist.

_Shit! Professor Creep-show!_

Reno couldn't help widening his eyes and taking a hop backwards, something that seemed to amuse Hojo greatly and made his skin crawl. "What the hell you doin', sneakin' up on a Turk?"

The Professor stood about even height with him, and that did not settle his nerves in the slightest. "You, boy, you're on the mission to Nibelheim," Hojo said, completely ignoring Reno.

He nearly curled his lip in disgust at the sound of Creep-show's voice, but instead opted for scratching at one of his tattoos. "Yeah. What's it to ya?"

The scientist started pacing back and forth, Reno staying rooted to the spot, left hand at the ready by his EMR. He was taking no chances with this man. "I am sure you've heard of theories behind the rogue SOLDIERS' disappearance and those of that Zack Fair and the trooper with him."

Reno froze. Did he know about how Tseng's connection to all of this? And by extension, his?

Unperturbed by the red-heads silence, Creep-show continued on. "It is suspicious to say the least, and I have it on good faith that it is connected to Sephiroth's sudden urge to go on the Nibelheim mission."

Hojo suddenly whirled on Reno, who unconsciously took a step back. "I have told that boy time and time again to follow my summons and yet he _refuses _to go! He is worse than that pandering, obstinate board of directors, always standing in my way!"

_Standing in your way, have they? About what? _He nervously filed that one away for later use.

"Therefore, I am reduced to asking for help from the Turks of all people." Hojo backed away slightly, but Reno did not relax. Something very weird and wrong was happening here, and his eyes darted down the hallway, wondering if he could somehow make a run for it.

"Help? What d' you want me to do, look after the General?" He asked, trying to get more information out of the man, even if he wanted to be done, gone out of this whole business.

"Sephiroth?! No, you fool! I have my ways of monitoring him that you need not know about, boy!" Reno would've dearly loved to tell him off for referring to a full-fledged Turk as boy, but Hojo was backing him into a wall. "I don't want him, I want the trooper!"

Reno blinked in utter shock. "What?"

"Useless I say, useless! But I have no other options." Hojos eyes were now level with him, and through the glasses, he could see a feverish gleam that frankly, scared the shit out of him.

"You mean…what's-his-face, Strife? Cloud Strife?" He chanced, and drew back as the fire in Hojo's eyes grew brighter.

"Yes! That is who I mean!"

"How the hell you know he's even gonna be at Nibelheim, or that he's even alive, yo?" Okay, questioning Creep-show's methods was perhaps his stupidest idea yet, but this was a special circumstance.

"Did I not say I had it on good faith that they would be there?! Stop asking useless questions!" Hojo backed away again and was muttering to himself, but Reno was staying put against the wall. "You will find him. And you will bring him back to Shinra, whether he resists or not. And you will tell _no one _you are working for me!"

Reno opened his mouth, about to declare Tseng (or Veld) was the only one able to give him orders, but Hojo stopped him again by invading his personal space. "I am the Head of the Department of Scientific Research, which means the Turks must also answer to me! And if you tell Tseng or Sephiroth or _anyone _about this…well, that wouldn't be the first time a Turk has disappeared."

As quickly as he was there, Hojo had stepped back and was walking away, down the hall, mumbling to himself. Reno stayed put for another second, gathering himself and taking a deep breath. His fingers had been itching to unleash his EMR on the man, but it would've been a bad idea; as creepy as he was, the Professor was still Reno's superior.

_I got this, its cool. _Mad at himself for letting one stupid scientist unnerve him like that, he walked quickly down the hallway to Sephiroth's office, which suddenly seemed safe in comparison. The final thing Hojo had said to him rang in Reno's ears as he walked, and he shuddered.

_He's just trying to intimidate me, _the red-head thought, calming himself down. _There's no way he could ever touch a Turk._


	6. On Our Way Home

**Authors Note: Posting a bit early because I'm bored and I can. Hey guys, and thanks again for reading, you guys are great. As I say before I'm always open to what your thoughts were or any constructive crit, so you don't have to be shy, I'm just glad people are reading my wierd thing.**

**I'm sorry this chapter is kinda boring, its mostly just the guys talking, but i promise you next chapter things'll get interesting (thats when they meet Reno i mean come on). this here is mostly just transition and lets kill peoples feelings with Zack and Cloud. Anyway, like always, enjoy.**

* * *

The trip over the ocean was a lot better then everything else because of one thing and one thing only: Zack, in his infinite wisdom, had remembered to get Cloud some medicine for his motion sickness. He'd never taken it before because it was expensive, and for some reason, he never liked taking medicine.

This time however, he relented. One tablet was all it took and he was out like a light. Zack had left him down in their temporary room while he went up top, presumably to check on Angeal-who was doing his best to stay hidden-and Cloud didn't mind. It was a great respite from normally spending the entire trip leaning over a railing, even if it did have his friend coming back every five minutes and asking him if he felt okay. Cloud replied with a muttered swear word every time he got pulled out of his dozing.

And that was how, after what felt like about two days later, they finally arrived. He just remembered Zack's rough hands shaking him awake and his voice telling him they had to go and now here he was, standing on an outpost by the shore, blinking the sun out of his eyes.

He looked around, blearily noticing Angeal was nowhere to be found, though his SOLDIER friend had whispered softly he'd join up once they were away from people.

"But for now, chocobos!" Zack declared loudly, puffing out his chest. Cloud snorted at that, but picked up the pack his friend had grudgingly given him and headed over to the lady who rented them out for travelers.

The impromptu nap he had on the ship had done wonders for his energy levels-that and the food Zack kept forcing on him-he was now far more alert and excited. After all, this was the first time he was ever going to see and even better, ride a chocobo.

Living in Nibelheim, no one ever got out much and no one ever took chocobos up there. After all, what exactly was there to see? Nothing but an abandoned reactor, really. And Midgar didn't have any either, since the birds probably couldn't stand the pollution. Like materia, Cloud always had a weird fascination with chocobos since he was little, especially since his mother (and a few thousand other people) declared he looked _just _like one. He'd seen pictures but didn't know how they were getting that at all.

However, seeing the pen with a few of the large, fluffy birds, his eyes grew wide and he nearly tripped over his own feet. A chocobo. A real, living chocobo! Cloud could feel a smile growing on his face and he ran towards them, disregarding Zack entirely. There were two of the normal yellow ones, which he saw now did resemble the color of his hair (no he _still _didn't see it!), but a couple of the larger green variety-mountain chocobos, if he recalled correctly-were the ones the caught his attention.

The green chocobo turned its head towards him, warking softly. Cloud cocked his head. "Hello there."

He felt a bit silly talking to a bird, but it trotted closer to him. These birds were so much better now that he could actually touch and interact with one, so he was having the time of his life.

"Hello," Cloud said again, holding out his hand. The green chocobo trotted swiftly towards him, staring at his hand, then him.

He gently reached out to touch its head, slightly nervous because he heard they could be ornery. Monsters were scared of them for a reason, after all…but this was not the case. Instead, the chocobo leaned down towards him and he started petting it on the side of its neck.

"I see you've made a new friend there." A voice said from behind him, and he jumped, whirling around to see the chocobo lady, laughing.

"I-well-I've…" Now he felt dumb. "I've never seen a chocobo before…"

She chuckled again. "Nah, its fine. Always love meetin' someone who's a fan of these guys. Though that one's really taken to ya! She's pretty bad-tempered otherwise."

The chocobo in question had started nuzzling his head since he turned around. Cloud tried gently swatting her away but she squawked in protest, her head pushing him to a stumble. Zack was a little ways away, trying to hide his amusement and failing miserably. He sidled over to the trooper casually, causing the rancher to turn towards him.

"Well, either way, can I help ya two with somethin'?" She said, turning, a sudden look of distaste on her face at Zack's uniform.

Cloud turned back to the chocobo, who was now pecking at his scarf, not wanting to miss a minute with these wonderful birds, even if she was being a bit annoying.

"Yeah, we're trying to get across these mountains so if you could, we'd like to rent three chocobos, ma'am," Zack said, with his most pleasing smile.

"Hmm. I suppose you're going to pay?" She said incredulously. Zack never let up a single ounce of his charm.

"Of course, ma'am, why wouldn't I? Besides, its the quickest way through the mountains and that one seems friendly already," Zack said with a wry smile towards Cloud. The other chocobos were starting to take notice of him too, though one of them was skulking towards the back. _Was that a black one? _

The gate was open for prospective customers, so while Zack won over the chocobo lady, he sneaked inside, avoiding the same green one that squeaked at him and headed to that shadow in the back.

The shadow turned out to be a small black chocobo, or at least, smaller then the others he'd seen in the pen. The bird in question looked up from the grass it was inspecting and screeched loudly at him. Cloud jumped a bit, but since it wasn't attacking, he didn't back down. Black types were typically rare, so why hadn't this one been claimed?

The bird cocked its head at him, as if sizing him up and then trotted slowly over, screeching again in his face. _What is this birds problem…_

Apparently nothing, as it fluffed up its wings a little and then began resolutely pecking at Cloud's hair.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Cloud backed away, furiously rubbing at his head, which only agitated the black one further.

"I daresay he's thinks you're one a' them and trying to groom you!" The chocobo lady had come up behind him again, along with Zack. Cloud gave his amused face a glare, his hands held firmly on his head.

"But why? And why is he so small?" Now the black one was following him around, squawking softly and trying to worm its way underneath Cloud's fingers.

"Your hair, chocobo boy." Zack finally couldn't contain himself. Cloud just ignored him.

"So anyway, we need three chocobos."

"Three? Ya only got the two a' you here."

"Well…it would be easier to put our supplies on one of them, keep away the monsters." Zack said so smoothly that the lady nodded enthusiastically along.

"I can guarantee you and your stuff'll stay safe on these guys! No monsters will come within a mile's radius!" The lady looked back at the black chocobo who was now contentedly eating Cloud's hair, as he had given up. "Hmm…you know, if you really want that black one, you can pay the normal rental price an' just keep him."

Cloud looked up suddenly. "Really?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. Well, while he's a black chocobo, he's still the runt of his litter, so t' speak, an' not many people find a use for such a small one. Plus, he's a bit ornery around people sometimes. You, however, you're the perfect size an' he's taken to you already…"

Cloud looked back at the small chocobo with a weird twinge of sympathy. He stared back at the trooper, shaking his head. _So they think you're useless too, huh?_

Reaching out to slowly scratch the chocobo's neck, he turned back. "I can uh…take him, then. If that works?"

He looked over at Zack, suddenly wondering if this was okay. What the hell was he even going to do with a chocobo afterwards? But his friend was smiling again. "That's totally great. This little guy can get a home then!"

The chocobo lady clapped her hands together. "It's settled then, I'm guessin'. So come over here for a moment and let the kid here handle the birds. He's got that covered." She winked and then put her hand on Zack's arm, leading him off.

_Zack…how do you do that…._

Ten or so minutes later-once Cloud had figured out how-the three chocobos were saddled, and their stuff was put away. _Now, _he thought to himself, staring at the side of the black bird, _the hard part._

Not wanting to be embarrassing in front of Zack, or much less the chocobo lady, he slowly attempted to climb the bird, only to end up hanging off the other side. "Zack…I need some help…"

His friend merely laughed at him and helped him get into the saddle properly, the chocobo turning and peeping at him as if to see if he was okay. "Can we please just leave?"

"Right. The road to Nibelheim is long. Farewell, my beautiful lady, and I thank you again for your service!" Zack gave a jaunty wave to the chocobo lady, who looked a bit stunned in her reaction.

"It's always a pleasure f' someone like you. Stay safe now!" She smiled in return as they led their feathery charges out of the outpost.

After they, got a fair distance away from civilization, Angeal swooped down and landed beside them. Zack tossed him the reins of one of the green chocobos.

"That went quicker then I thought it would," he said, settling himself as the bird squawked.

"Well, with my charm, and Cloud's uncanny chocobo-whispering abilities, we can pull something like this off, easy!" Zack grinned back.

Angeal merely raised a questioning eyebrow, while Cloud's chocobo again turned its head to peck at his hair. "Need I say more?"

"They think Cloud is a chick, its beautiful!" Cloud was tempted to throw something at his friend, if it weren't for fending off the birds attacks on his head. "Oh also, we actually bought that one."

Angeal pulled up next to the trooper. "Really?"

He turned his head down, hiding in his scarf. "I uh…yeah. Felt sort of bad for him."

"I see. Does he have a name?"

Cloud looked up in suprise. "No?"

"Well if he's yours, he probably wants a name." Angeal smiled slightly before pulling ahead. Cloud shot a glare at the younger SOLDIER, who was still making faces at him, an idea forming in his head.

"I've got the perfect name for you. You're annoying, won't leave me alone, and all black and spiky," he said gently, patting the black birds neck. "How about Zack?"

"_HEY!_"

* * *

Unfortunately for the real Zack, the name stuck, and Cloud happily rode on with his newly dubbed bird. It certainly was a strange experience riding a chocobo for the first time-the first few minutes he was desperately clinging to the reins. It wasn't until he relaxed and finally trusted the chocobo to do what it did the best that he began to really enjoy it.

Now that he was moving, the miles started melting away and it suddenly seemed like an easy task to be able to reach Nibelheim, despite all the doubts he had before. It also saved Cloud from having to walk on wobbly legs, which helped a lot. It was like a dream.

He only worried about what he was going to do with the chocobo after they reached his hometown, since he had nowhere to put him, but every time he brought it up with Zack, he just waved away any concerns.

"Don't worry Cloud, I got it covered," he said, and trotted off to annoy Angeal again. Patting the other Zack on the head, the trooper could only hope he was right.

* * *

They made good time; by the time they first set up camp, they could already see the famous Rocket Town. The second time, they'd passed the town completely and gotten to the edge of the Nibel mountains. A breeze blew past him as he stared up at the looming shapes. "Never thought I'd be returning there like this…"

"You say somethin' Cloud?" Zack had come up behind him.

"Huh? Ah, no. Nothing really. Just…" he gestured helplessly at the mountains.

"It's wierd coming home, right?"

"Yeah…" Cloud allowed himself an ironic smile. He certainly wasn't going towards town if he could help it, not with Tifa and his mother around.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Zack's hands dropped onto his shoulders unexpectedly, causing him to jump."Really, I promise."

Cloud merely stared back at his friends encouraging smile.

"I'm betting you promised people there you'd be a SOLDIER, and you don't want to go back like this, huh?"

How. How did he-"How did you know-"

Zack smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Doesn't take a genius to figure it out. You worry too much Cloud. I'm sure they'll be proud of you anyways."

He must've made a face because Zack immediately looked guilty. "Hey, don't give me that Cloud, I'm sorry. You won't have to go back into town if you don't want to. Actually its probably better that way."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry. Guess I'm just a bit tired or something."

"No, it's okay. I know what you mean." He sort of tried to smile to cheer his friend up and it worked, at least partly. Zack grinned again and ruffled Cloud's hair.

"Well okay then, you get some sleep! And don't let the chocobos wander off!" Cloud elbowed him in the stomach, which did nothing, and stormed off to go lie down by Zack the chocobo, muttering about certain stupid first classes. He hoped this depressing feeling in his gut would go away soon though-these were some of the best moments he ever had and he didn't want it marred by the fact he couldn't let his past go.

When he fell asleep that night, he dreamed about the pretty girl in the flowers again, but this time, she just looked sad.

* * *

After Cloud had fallen asleep by the chocobos, Zack stayed up a little longer, despite Angeal's insistence he go to sleep. There were things he needed to talk about. Two, specifically, and both of them had to do with his mentor.

"Zack, I told you I'd keep watch," Angeal sighed as his student came and sat down next to him.

"Please. I can see through your excuses. Besides, the chocobos will keep any of the monsters away." He waved his hand, trying to get to the subject he wanted.

"No need for all of us to be exhausted."

"Cut the crap, Angeal. I'm not going away," he said curtly, serious for once. This seemed to register with the older first class, who sobered up as well. There were a few more moments of silence and listening to a far-off monster growl before either of them said anything.

"What is it, Zack? I presume it's something you didn't want to say in front of Cloud?" As always, his teacher was right on the mark.

"Ahaha, you got me," he smiled a little bit, "but yeah. Angeal…I don't really think we should be taking him along with us…"

Angeal shifted so he was now looking at his student, the dim light not affecting their mako-drenched eyes. "You just now decided to doubt the little trooper's skills?"

"Ha, don't let him catch you calling him that!" Zack shook his head. "No, it's really not that. Look, its just…we're really getting in deep to this business with the experimentation and Hojo and Hollander and everything. Angeal, you _know _what happens to people who get involved with this stuff."

He cast his gaze back at Cloud, curled up peacefully on the black bird with a ridiculous name. He really was a great kid, to stick with them all this way, and to help his mentor out so much. Zack felt as though he owed the boy something, seeing how he had convinced his mentor and dear friend to come back in one piece. Protecting him from the madness of Shinra was really the least he could do.

"I know, Zack. If it were my choice, I wouldn't want him along, but not for the reasons he thinks. Perhaps…perhaps it would've been better for him to think I was a monster, so he would not get involved." Angeal sounded tired.

"Angeal…" A warning tone crept into his voice.

"Relax, I will not sink so easily into despair again." Angeal's hand settled down on his shoulder, and Zack felt warm from the familiar gesture, just another little reminder that this Angeal was the real one. He was alive.

But Cloud…

"That's good to hear. But seriously. I don't want him getting into this. Hell, I don't even know if the kid knows what he's getting himself into at all," Zack said, gesturing helplessly at the sky.

"I talked to him early one morning about why he never ran away, despite having several opportunities to do so. It seems as though that option had never even occurred to him." Angeal said, lowering his voice again.

Zack blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"If he is that determined to stick around, I hardly think anything we say will deter him. Cloud is a smart kid-it's possible he's starting to put the pieces together anyway." Angeal stared down at his gloved hands. "He thinks himself a friend of yours, and I assume vice versa. Do you truly want to abandon him?"

"Nooo, no no no! Not at all. But you know…I thought since he was a trooper, no one would pay attention to him. Course it'd be great for him to stick around, I just…"

"Zack, it's okay. I get it. But you don't need to hover like a mother chocobo. He made his decision," Angeal spoke softly, but the words carried a great weight. Zack knew he was right. But…seeing Cloud like that, full of hope that he may possibly achieve his dream, there was no way he wanted it twisted and tainted by the same poison that had infected his mentor and even the general himself.

_But Cloud is Cloud. He can make his own choice…_

"Can I at least..talk to him tomorrow about it? He deserves to know what he's getting into." Zack asked him.

"That sounds good to me. However, I trust you'll both be prompt?" A little bit of that teasing light had come back into Angeal's eyes, and Zack snorted, shoving his mentor's shoulder.

"Shut uuup. And don't think you're out of the blue on this either! How are YOU feeling, and no lies!" Zack pointed a finger straight up at the grey streaks in Angeal's hair.

"Zack, I'm fi-"

"Don't give me that shit, Angeal." Zack gave him a glare and surprisingly, the older man relented.

"I'm tired, yes. And everything hurts. But there is nothing I can do about it now. Foolishly clinging to life…"

"Will you shut up about that? We'll find a way to help you, got it? I mean look at what we've done so far! Surely that isn't impossible!" Angeal merely looked away from him, so he continued. "I'll tell you this now, you're a hell of a lot better off then Genesis is."

Angeal flinched, and immediately Zack knew he'd said something wrong. "I'm sorry, I uh-"

His mentor waved off his concerns. "It's fine, Zack. I know what you mean. Genesis…had never been as stable, you could say. As for the degradation, his case is the most pronounced. I do not pretend to get his motives, but when I fought him…I was hoping to see some of my old friend in there. To see if it was not too late for him."

Zack felt as though he was treading on sacred ground again, since all he knew about their relationship was the little Angeal and Sephiroth had revealed. He hated seeing his mentor so down about this, losing the people he cared about left and right to a plague of bad intentions.

_But it is my turn to be the support_, he thought, setting a hand down gently on his mentors shoulder, as Angeal did to him many times as well. "Angeal, we'll save him. I swear."

Angeal looked up, truly surprised, and a flicker of hope appeared in his eyes. Zack's heart jumped-how long had it been since he'd seen that?

"I…thank you, Zack." He smiled, genuinely and wearily, as if he could finally rest. And Zack let him, as the night slowly drifted on.

* * *

Cloud did not wake up on his own this time, but rather to the mouth of a black chocobo clamped firmly onto his head.

"ZACK, WHAT THE HELL?! GET OFF OF ME!" he yelled, trying to shove the bird off. The other Zack-and Angeal-were both up and ready in less then three seconds, the older first class staring at his student.

"What? I'm not even near him!" Zack said loudly, turning to Cloud. Angeal stared for a moment before comprehension dawned on his face, and he actually laughed.

"Well, we're awake now, so get up." He started walking around the camp, picking things up and repacking. Cloud had a feeling the large man was having a hard time concealing his amusement at this whole incident.

"This is all YOUR FAULT for naming your stupid chicken that!" Zack gave a glare at the chocobo, who squawked and looked as smug as ever. This time Cloud started laughing, and had to narrowly dodge a small rock his friend pelted at him.

About a half-hour later, after they had eaten and got moving again, Zack immediately cheered up, though he steered clear of Angeal's bird, who had given him a resounding peck to his hand as he tried to wake her up.

Cloud took in a deep breath, exhaling as it came out in a puff of fog. The temperature had dropped again as they started into the mountains, though he knew it would be worse than the Modeoheim area, due to the high winds. But the air still smelled the same, the cold was still sudden and biting, and the Nibel Mountains as beautiful and deadly as ever. Home. He was going home.

It was a disquieting feeling, going back like this, especially since he was essentially a fugitive. Cloud knew-and hoped-that when they got to the Shinra mansion, Zack was right and they didn't have to go into town. Meeting anyone in the state he was now would just be a nightmare.

And also, there was the issue of them meeting up with Sephiroth. At first, when the three of them had agreed to the plan, Cloud hadn't thought much about it, since it was so far away. But now, back in these mountains, it was growing closer and closer, and the trooper knew he would have to face the man he had admired his whole life in his own town. Great. Two nightmares at once.

"Cloud, what sort of monsters live in this area?" Surprisingly, it was Angeal who broke through his depressing inner monologue.

"Uh well…with chocobos it shouldn't be a problem."

"I know, but there is no harm in being prepared." Angeal's voice was gentle.

"Well, towards town, thats where the wolves and the weird bird things usually are. Maybe some other small plant-like guys, I forget their name." Cloud combed his somewhat foggy memory. "Up higher, where we'll be, unfortunately is where the dragons are. They like nesting around the peaks, and you have to watch out for the bombs. Basically everything is nasty and wants to kill you."

"I expected nothing less from the infamous Nibel mountains," Angeal said. Cloud glanced at him. Was this area really that notorious for powerful monsters, or were all mountain ranges like that? "I don't suppose you could guide us down there from here?"

Cloud froze up again. It was true that he was a native but many of them, except for the exceptionally brave hunter, stayed away from the accursed mountains. In fact, he could only think of one person in the entire village who would know all the paths, and he was probably older then Nibelheim itself.

_Still, I can't let them down. I need to pull my own weight around here. _

_"_Well sir…to tell you the truth, none of us in Nibelheim ever go into the mountains that far. The highest up we go is around the reactor area. I'm just heading in the general direction right now, but if we hit the reactor, then I'll be able to lead you," he said. It was the best he could do. Angeal nodded thoughtfully, like he expected that answer, and Cloud noticed Zack had pulled up behind to listen in.

"We'll do our best!" the black haired man crowed, causing both of them to stare incredulously.

"Then don't go wandering off and get eaten by something," Cloud retorted. "I'm not rescuing you from a dragon."

"Oh ye of little faith. Would the great Zack Fair ever do something like that?" he asked, letting go of the reins and nearly falling off his chocobo.

"Need I tell your friend embarrassing stories of your training days?" Angeal smirked in retaliation. Zack shook his head.

"Nope. No you don't. I'll keep my mouth shut." The three of them continued on in this manner, only stopping to take a short break and try to figure out their bearings. Cloud told them the reactor should be obvious-it was a tall, dark structure, and the strongest monsters tended to congregate around it.

"Hey, spiky." Zack came up next to him while they were just standing around. "Angeal says if you're correct about where the reactor is, we'll probably be able to make it to Nibelheim tomorrow."

"That sounds good to me." Cloud noticed Zack seemed a bit off, not in a bad way, but like he wanted to say something more. He waited.

"Say Cloud…"

"Yeah?" He asked, turning around.

"Can I talk to you when we make camp tonight? I need to uh well…talk to you about something," Zack said apologetically. Cloud's gut grew icy-cold, as the moment he feared seemed to suddenly appear. Did they finally decide to throw him out?

_No, _the rational voice in his head whispered. _Angeal said you could trust both of them._

"I-um, w-why?" Cloud stuttered, and Zack immediately smiled, patting the trooper on the back.

"Don't worry, Cloud, its nothing horrible, I swear. I don't hate you or anything. Just…something important. Okay?" He asked.

Cloud took another shaky breath, willing himself to stay calm. "Yeah, okay."

Zack gave another reassuring smile, shot a glare at his chocobo, and left Cloud standing there, wondering what was so important he needed to tell him alone. Maybe he really didn't want him around or…there was something more to this business then either of them mentioned. Something to do with the warriors who had angel's wings.

* * *

Angeal had a very good judge of distance, because by the time they set up camp, Cloud could see the reactor faintly. Judging by how fast these mountain chocobos moved, they'd easily make it to the Shinra manor tomorrow. He was both excited and scared about this prospect, so he focused on what mattered: he'd finally get to meet the great General of SOLDIER, Sephiroth.

"Hey Cloud, wanna go for a walk for a little bit?"

Right. There was that too. He nodded reluctantly as he followed Zack away from the camp that Angeal was setting up. It was silent for a little while, though Cloud didn't once believe Zack's claim he was just going out to melt some water for their supplies.

He stopped at a flat spot that had a layer of fresh powdery snow on it. "Right. I know I said I was gonna talk to you about something."

Cloud stayed silent, just waiting for his friend to speak, his stomach twisting itself into knots. Zack sighed, betraying some uneasiness Cloud rarely saw in the first class.

"I know you think its probably something horrible, like we hate you and want you to leave Cloud, but its not like that at all," he said softly.

"Then what is it?" He leaned forward slightly, trying to watch Zack's face.

"Well, I…don't really know if you have a good grasp of this situation you're getting yourself involved in. And I'm worried about _getting_ you involved," Zack said bluntly. Cloud's fists tightened by his side. So he DIDN'T want him coming along. And he thought that he could trust-

"It's not like that, so don't you even dare start thinking like that!" He looked up, startled. It was as if Zack read his thoughts.

"Honestly Cloud, you can be really frustrating sometimes. But it's not because you're weak or whatever you're spouting off earlier." Zack took another, deeper breath. "It's because…I've seen what getting involved can do to people and it never turns out well. You're my friend, I don't want that to happen to you."

There was a look to Zack's eyes as he spoke those words, and suddenly the air around him seemed very weary and old. The glimmer of life that was so present in him was suddenly lost and Cloud was struck with a very different cold feeling- that Zack had indeed fought in the Wutaiian war and probably faced many horrors in this new rebellion against Shinra.

"I'm…"What was he to say to that? One look and Cloud knew that Zack was right. He did not know any of what he was getting himself into. What Angeal was so angry about, who that red-coated man was, why so many of the monsters had looked human. Why Shinra was so determined to eliminate Zack's friend that they had to hide from the company. And most of all, how Sephiroth was connected. Cloud was the weird missing link-a mere trooper, way in over his head.

"I know stuff is going on that I don't know about. I just don't know if there's anything I can do by sticking around and whether you guys would be better off without me," he mumbled into his scarf. Zack's face fell, realizing he'd made his friend sad.

"It's not that we don't want you here, just that neither of us want you caught up in this shit when you don't have to be! You're a trooper Cloud, you could just easily say you got caught up in the confusion but then escaped when you could. You could go back!" Zack pleaded.

"I don't think they'd accept that, and I definitely don't! How could I run away now? You are my friends!" Cloud surprised himself with the outburst, but Zack was making him angry, saying he should just run away.

It only took a moment for Zack to gather himself. "Do you really think that? You realize what kind of danger you might be put in?"

Cloud laughed shortly. "We're fugitives on the run from the top Shinra dogs with a supposedly K.I.A. SOLDIER. I'm fairly certain of what could possibly happen."

"Alright, if you're sure just…." Zack sighed, sitting down on a rock and rubbing his face with his hands. "I just brought you out here to ask you one thing. Are you willing to come with us, no matter what happens?"

Cloud looked down at his feet. He was scared, it was true, but he'd come too far. Zack was his friend, and so was Angeal. They had already done so much for him and he couldn't let them down, with whatever meager things he could do.

"I'm in," Cloud said, determined.

Zack smiled, albeit somewhat sadly. "I figured you probably would be. Well either way, I'm still glad you're coming with us."

He stood up and walked over, suddenly folding the trooper in a hug. "If there's ever anything, _anything at all, _you need help with, you can tell me and I'll be there. Got it?"

Cloud nodded, suddenly blinking back tears. Where did this come from? It sounded as though he was afraid Cloud would just vanish into smoke.

"You'll be fine, spiky." Zack let go, but not before ruffling Cloud's hair again, getting a customary growl of annoyance from the trooper. "Also, when we meet up with Sephiroth I'll get him to tell you the full story. I'd do it but I don't have all the details."

Cloud grinned, at least for Zack's benefit. He was rather curious about this whole situation, and what was so important they thought Angeal had to literally die to keep it a secret. He turned back to his friend, his eyes suddenly widening in horror when he saw what was behind Zack.

"What? Did I say something? Do I have something on my face?" he asked, but Cloud just pointed at the large mountain dragon that had climbed up behind him. Zack turned and suddenly jumped back, yelling at Cloud to get down. The dragon roared, the back of its throat glowing, and he knew what was going to come next. The two of them hit the snow as a column of fire roared over their heads, frying the edges of their hair.

"How the hell is there a dragon all the way down here?!" Cloud yelled. And how did he not notice it was there?

"I don't know, maybe we made it angry but we need to move!" Zack dragged Cloud upwards and over to the left as the dragon steadied itself and then lunged with its head. He heard a sound of a sword swinging through the air and then the dragon stumbled back a bit, screaming in pain.

"Shit, this is not good…Cloud, go tell Angeal, will you?! I think I can handle it but just in case-" Zack got cut off again as the dragon's tail whipped around. Cloud glanced around quickly. It seemed the dragon was distracted by the SOLDIER, but it was more of a question of if he could move fast enough. He slowly inched his way behind a rock, as Zack yelled and took another few swings at the dragon.

He wished he had more time to admire the way he seamlessly handled his sword and took all the dragon's attacks, but right now, the trooper was more focused on not being stomped to death. As soon as the creatures head swung away, Cloud jumped over the rock and ran for it. He almost made it too, had it not been for the tip of its tail swinging into him and knocking him into a newly-melted mud puddle.

He heard Zack shout his name, and flipped over quickly. The dragon had turned, ignoring the human with a sword for the currently mud-covered floundering one. It's eyes bore straight into him, blinking a couple times, before it reared back and began to summon forth fire again. Cloud put his hands up, desperately thinking maybe he could counter-attack with his materia, when his ears suddenly popped and a large crackle of lightning struck the dragon's right side, searing it.

The dragon screamed again, this time in pain and flailed wildly. Cloud managed to roll out of the way of one of its talons, as Zack, not even waiting for his arm to stop glowing took a hold of his sword, jumped high into the air and brought his sword down in an arc at the dragon's neck. The sword cut through scale and bone, severing the head, and causing the body to fall with a earth-shattering thump.

It was quiet for a few moments as Cloud tried to calm his heart rate down from the near-death experience. "Holy….Goddess above…."

"Tell me about it…" Zack quickly rushed over to where Cloud was, pulling him up and checking for injuries. "You okay? Nothing wrong?"

"Aside from the fact I have mud up my nose and nearly eaten by a dragon, I'm fine," he said.

"Well, its good we'll get to Nibelheim soon, I'm sure we can find you a new uniform somehow!" Zack laughed, clapping him on the back and then going to wipe off his blade in the snow.

"Thanks, Zack."

"No problem, kid. Just be sure to pay me back when you become SOLDIER, got it?" Zack pointed a finger at him as he started to head back to camp. Cloud rolled his eyes but smiled again anyway.

"It's a promise."


	7. The Lost Number

**Authors Note: Hey again, Im glad you guys are liking it and thanks for all the nice words everyone says, I do in fact read them all and its hella good motivation to get my ass in gear and write. also, sorry if i seemed to be making cloud get thrown around too much in the last few chapters-i was attempting to focus more on his emotional...issues then anything else (aka i had a reason) but i can assure you he gets badass points very soon. like right here.**

**Anyway, introducing new characters is fun, and its starting to pick up. I hope you see where im going and like always, Enjoy. -Xar**

* * *

Tseng looked up slightly as the door to his office opened, stopping in surprise when he saw who it was.

"Rude, can I help you?" The taciturn man rarely appeared unless he was needed, and Tseng most certainly had not sent for him. Rude looked at him briefly before reaching a gloved hand into his coat pocket and pulling out a piece of paper.

"Reno asked me to give this to you when he was leaving," Rude said curtly, handing him the neatly folded square. Tseng took it, staring at him in confusion. What exactly was Reno up to?

He unfolded the paper, taking in the words scrawled there. This was getting stranger and stranger…

He looked back up at Rude. "Did he say anything to you when he gave you this?"

The bald man shook his head. So nothing of importance then, but why had he written this on the piece of paper when Reno could have easily come to his office and told him? Normally, Tseng would have written it off as the boy being late for leaving for his mission, but on something as high-profile as this, not even the red-head would slack off.

"Is something wrong?" Tseng looked up at Rude again, almost having forgotten he was there.

"No. At least I think so. Thank you, Rude." He dismissed the large man, wanting to get to the bottom of the strange message. Rude nodded slightly then left.

_This whole business is off. _Turks were trained to notice connections between events, to uncover lies and conspiracies. And Reno, leaving a strange note as he left on a mission to support a supposedly K.I.A. SOLDIER…

The only other reason to do such a thing was that something was very, very wrong.

* * *

Angeal was not happy to learn of their escapade with the dragon, after Zack and Cloud had returned to camp covered in blood and in Cloud's case, mud. Reminding him of how close they were to Nibelheim however, was a good enough distraction that they continued on without a fuss.

A couple hours later and they reached the reactor, which was giving Cloud the same horrible feeling as the red-coated man-and sometimes Angeal-did. It was like a skin of dark dust hung over the looming structure, even though the air and sky were as clear as ever. _Danger, something bad,_ it seemed to whisper and the creeping sense started to turn his stomach.

"We can head down here past that mako spring and it will only be a little while," he said quickly, eager to get as far away from the reactor as possible. As much as he liked climbing the mountain before the bridge incident, the reactor had always given him that horrible sense of wrongness, and now it was compounded tenfold.

"The Shinra Manor is right outside town, correct?" Angeal asked as they headed downward.

"Yeah. We should be able to sneak in without being seen." Cloud had heard rumors of a sewer system but he didn't know if they existed, or if they did, where they were. "It'll help that the villagers will stay away from it as much as they can."

"Because its Shinra?" Zack piped up.

"Because it's haunted." Cloud had gone up to it a few times, once with Tifa, and the rest himself, but he'd never seen any evidence of it being haunted. Still, it had that strange feeling…

"Ooooh, spooky," Zack said, earning him a glare.

"Zack, take this seriously," Angeal answered.

Right. There were two SOLDIERs and a Nibelheim native. Why should they be afraid of nonexistent ghosts?

* * *

The door was locked, but Tseng had entered the room Reno and Rude shared anyway. None of the Turks really cared this happened-they were surprisingly comfortable with each other, and only a Turk could break into another Turk's room in the first place. (For Reno, it was used more for pranks, which had led to a lot of trouble.)

What Tseng was interested in, however, was what the note had said.

'_Remember those Banora apples you wanted? They're in the fridge. Help yourself.'_

A completely innocuous note, except for one thing: Reno knew that Tseng wasn't fond of those fruit. In fact, he had explicitly said so to the red-head on more then one occasion. _Trust Reno to remember something like that._

Tseng walked carefully over to the fridge, stepping around what looked like a spare crumpled suit, and opened the door. He leaned back slightly as a blast of cool air came out and then peered back inside.

As he thought, there were no apples. In fact, the fridge barely looked used at all. He rifled around in the shelves until he found what he was looking for: the drawer at the near bottom where fruit was usually kept. Inside was another folded up note, though this one was less neat then the other. He picked it up and closed up the fridge, making his way out of the room. This was a matter best left for the security of his office.

* * *

They had descended enough that the trio finally saw the greenery covering the snow and rocks. Nibelheim looked like it had recently has a small storm, so there were dustings of snow here and there, but it was mostly melted into the grass.

Cloud had managed to clean most of the mud out of his hair, but lamented in the fact that the Shinra Manor would most likely not have running water. _I'll just find a pond or something and do it the old fashioned way._

"Hey, I can see buildings over there!" Zack pointed down the west valley.

"That's Nibelheim. We have to go that way." Cloud indicated the little area to the right. "That's where the Shinra Manor is."

"Wow, it's that close? You sure we'll be okay?"

"Yeah. With Shinra around we should be." At least, Cloud hoped they'd keep all the villagers away, since Sephiroth's fame extended even all the way here, and the last thing he needed was them seeing a renegade soldier, or worse, him.

"Alright, just a few minutes more," Angeal said, and they increased their pace.

They almost had made it inside the fence-which was unlocked-before a voice stopped them.

"You better stop, or I'll shoot!"

* * *

The note that the red-head had left him was double-encrypted with a simple shift cypher and Reno's own terrible handwriting. After spending five minutes figuring out that was a an f and not a fancy t, Tseng finally pieced together Reno's message, and his fears were confirmed.

_'Hey Boss, it's a roundabout way of telling you, but somethings very wrong with this case. Before I left, you-know-who contacted me and said he wanted me to bring one of the people at Nibelheim back. Somehow he knew 'those guys' were going to be there as well. Just letting you know, even if your orders take precedence.'_

Tseng stared at the note for several moments. Even after hiding it this much, Reno was still being intentionally vague. He briefly wondered what sort of danger he was in to be this cryptic, even in the middle of headquarters, but you-know-who….

The only person that scared Reno that much was Hojo.

_Shit._

Tseng suddenly reached for his phone, stopping short as he remembered he couldn't contact Sephiroth, or especially Zack, right now. He cursed, realizing there was nothing he could do. What exactly was happening, and why was Hojo suddenly using these underhanded tactics? Tseng needed to know what was going on.

But bringing someone back…who was it in that group that he wanted? Was it Angeal, because of his experiment? Tseng looked back at the small post-script Reno had tacked on.

_P.S. Oh, and as for the guy he wants me to bring back, here's a hint: what can you find in the sky?_

Did that count out Angeal? There didn't seem to be a connection at all. He discounted Sephiroth immediately-Hojo wouldn't bother with something like this for him. Zack Fair-his last name sort of fit but it just didn't feel ri-

_What was that trooper's name?_

His memory didn't fail him.

_What can you find in the sky? Clouds._

_Cloud._

_Hojo wants Cloud Strife._

* * *

The three suddenly froze as the voice continued speaking. "What're you guys doin' here on Shinra property?"

Angeal had one hand hovered near his sword, but Zack suddenly held his up. "Wait a minute, I recognize that voice…"

Zack turned around slowly, then dropped his defensive stance when he saw who it was. "Reno! Not cool, man!"

Cloud and Angeal stared at the younger first class, then at the figure that had snuck up behind him. He was a Turk, definitely-the wrinkled and untucked suit gave that away. He was grinning like he'd just won a fight, with a shock of bright red-hair and two small streaks of a tattoo under his eyes to match.

"Hey, hey, got to be careful around here, y'know? Something could sneak up on you when you least expect it." The Turk brought up a baton that was in his left hand and rested it on his shoulders.

"You…know this kid?" Angeal looked at Zack, demanding an answer. Cloud stayed silent in the back, curious as well.

"Yeah. Angeal, Cloud, meet Reno. I'm guessing you're the new recruit that Tseng sent over?" Zack asked.

Reno just grinned again and nodded.

"Wonderful. Where's Sephiroth?"

"He's just inside, yo. Sent me out here to wait for you guys." Reno waved his hand in the manor's general direction. Angeal was still staring at him like he didn't trust the guy, and Cloud didn't blame him. He was after all, an unknown factor, though Zack seemed to be fairly comfortable with the red-headed Turk.

"We better head inside before someone spots us. Cloud, can you go with Reno and hide the chocobos in the back?" Angeal took control again. He nodded, rather unnerved to be left alone with a Turk.

_I can trust Tseng, right? He wouldn't send anyone terrible._

_"_Don't get in trouble, and come in once you're done, okay? Oh and keep your swords on you, remember what I taugh-Angeal, what are you doing?" Zack stammered.

"Let's get going, puppy, before you break something." The two of them, having dismounted, headed off towards the main doors, Zack being partly dragged by his mentor. Cloud looked at them until they disappeared, and sat there awkwardly for a minute.

"You gonna space-out, or come down from there, spiky?" Cloud started, shooting a glare over at Reno. He'd forgotten the Turk was there.

"Don't call me spiky," he muttered, and then got off of Zack the chocobo, who was eyeing Reno like he was a good treat.

He hit the ground next to the red-head and stood up fully, stretching out a bit to loosen himself after riding on a bird all day. Cloud then turned to Reno and was taken aback. All the Turks he had met or seen were intimidating and often large-in either presence or body. It was different then the SOLDIERS, who focused on bulk: the Turks were more like assassins, embodying stealth, danger, and pure concentrated power.

Which was why Cloud was so surprised that Reno was just as short and small as he was. Cloud, in all his 5' 4" glory, was hoping one day that he'd hit puberty and become as tall as someone like Zack but with each year that passed, it just pushed that dream farther to the wind. And now it seemed, Reno had the same problem, though he seemed far less bothered by it.

"What?" Reno had noticed him staring.

"I-how old are you?" Reno's eyebrow raised at that comment.

"Man I'm same age as you. Like 15-16." He shrugged.

"You don't know your own AGE?"

"Well it ain't that important." Cloud just stared at him. This guy-this boy-was nothing like a Turk that he expected. He had an easy-going manner and didn't seem dangerous at all. "Any more questions, or should we get goin'?"

"Right…" Cloud snuck another look at Reno, who seemed totally disaffected by the trooper's attitude. "Just don't go near that one, he bites anyone that's not me."

* * *

_This was the kid that Hojo was after? _Reno wondered, after meeting Cloud Strife for the first time. The boy was runt, pure and simple, and even if he didn't seem that bothered by Reno, he sure asked a lot of strange questions.

After earning a bleeding hand from the black chocobo, and another warning from Cloud, the two herded the ornery birds to the field behind the house, where they wouldn't be seen by passerby.

"Man, never liked chocobos, they always thought my hair was food." He sighed dramatically, rolling his head over to look at the little trooper. Okay, little wasn't the right word-they were the same height. Which meant short as sin comparatively. Cloud just shrugged and said nothing.

_Jeez, stiffer then Rude and that's sayin' something._

"Will you stop staring at me?" Cloud asked.

"What makes you think I am?"

"You keep giving me that look." The blonde trooper gave him a frosty glare and started heading back into the house. Yeah, this was definitely an odd one, but nothing about him screamed danger. Or why a big-shot like Hojo was so interested in him.

Now Reno didn't know what to do. He hadn't particularly wanted to pursue the kid and drag him back to Creep-show so he had another lab rat, but he had a bad attitude and it didn't seem worth it to protect some idiot infantry by committing something tantamount to treason.

_Heh. Maybe the kid's just shy or somethin'. _

"I have a question for you." He trotted up until he was level with the trooper, who looked at him warily.

"How come you are still alive?"

Cloud stopped suddenly, staring at him. "What do you want?"

Reno smiled slightly. "What, don't trust me 'cause I'm a Turk?"

"Well, not particularly but that's not it. I don't want to talk about it with you," Cloud said curtly.

"Then what is it?"

"You're annoying," he said starkly. Reno deflated. Annoying, was he?

"Well you're a little shit yourself." He waved his hand vaguely again. This _KID. _

"Go away."

"No, I don't want to."

"You're a Turk, act like one!" Cloud suddenly burst out, and Reno smiled in success. It was unnerving for him, wasn't it? Acting like an idiot, wondering what the red-head was planning….

"With pleasure, Cloud Strife," Reno said with a flourishing bow. The trooper looked like he was about to smack him, but instead stormed off, throwing the main door to the manor open and walking inside. Reno's smile faded to a scowl as soon as he was out of range. This kid had nothing going for him except a surprisingly abrasive personality. What the hell was so interesting about him?

* * *

Cloud nearly threw himself into the manor, trying to get away from the annoying red-head. What about him that bothered him so much, he didn't know, but Reno just rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't even seem like a Turk at all, which threw him off wildly. And the fact he was so confident all the time, like he was one step ahead of everyone, and just his...everything. He was so annoying.

And Cloud didn't know what he was planning either. Reno was there, watching every move he made, and while he thought he could trust Tseng, he was starting to wonder about that. After all, this was a Turk, and he could have other loyalties.

Looking around, he couldn't see Zack or Angeal anywhere, so he set off to explore the full manor. He'd never been inside, so he was fascinated as to whether all the stories were really true. The first couple rooms were just extremely dusty bedrooms, with nothing in them but spiders, cobwebs, and a few onion-shaped monsters he chased away.

Across from them was a small stair and alcove, which looked like it had papers lying around. That piqued his curiosity, and he climbed up there and began brushing off the grime.

"Find something cool?" A voice suddenly said behind him and Cloud jumped, swinging his fist around at the source. The red-haired Turk swerved to the side to avoid the blow, saying, "Slow down man, it's just me!"

Cloud narrowed his eyes and just turned back around, hoping Reno would just leave. No such luck though, as the Turk leaned over his shoulder to look at the papers.

"Do you mind?" He said angrily and shifted away from him.

"Seriously, man, what's your problem?" Cloud looked up at Reno and he, weirdly enough, had a serious expression on his face. "I haven't done anything to you yet."

_Yet?_

"Nothing, you're just annoying." The truth was, Cloud didn't even know why he was so annoyed with the Turk. Perhaps he just had that sort of air about him, or maybe he was just secretly frustrated at being stuck outside with the chocobos while the adults did their business. "…and they left me outside after they promised they wouldn't."

Reno was nodding thoughtfully. "Well, we're in the same boat then. The General stuck me outside 'cause he doesn't trust me."

"Can you blame them?"

"Not really, we got that kinda reputation." Reno grinned again. "Doesn't seem to bother you."

"It does, you just won't leave."

"Fine, fine, be that way, but you know, two people searching a really big place, it goes quite a lot faster," he said nonchalantly. "You never know what might come out and..attack."

Cloud considered it for a moment, and then decided to trust Tseng for the time being. "Fine."

Reno clapped his hands, then descended on the papers, all over the alcove. "Let's see what dirty Shinra secrets we can dig up."

A couple minutes of dust later and it turned out they found exactly zero, though Cloud had come upon an interesting paper hinting to combination numbers on a safe, and an experiment in the basement.

"Maybe the ghost stories aren't all fake then," he said, showing the paper to Reno.

"An experiment in the basement? What is it, like a vampire or somethin'? Now that would be freaky." Reno snorted, looking at the second page. "Professor Creep-show sure likes being cryptic."

"Professor what?"

"Professor Creep-show, you know, Hojo?"

Cloud blinked in surprise at Reno's nickname for the crazy scientist. "You get away with calling him that?"

"Ha, like I'd ever actually say that to his face. That man's insane." Reno's lip curled in disgust. "Take it from a Turk; stay away from that dude. He's bad news, yo."

The way he said it made Cloud think there was some sort of hidden meaning behind those words.

"We…should go find the others," he said, folding up the paper and sticking it into his dirty uniform. Reno grumbled but followed him as they started towards the back rooms, where the tracks led.

"Zack? Angeal!" Cloud shouted their names, and he heard a slight 'over here!' from the back room.

Giving a look behind him, the trooper pushed the door open and caught sight of the two first classes, and-

It was him. It was him, it was really him…

A tall figure with long, silver hair. A black coat, and gloves. The slender, deadly six-foot long sword. The General of SOLDIER turned around at Cloud's intrusion and focused his cat-like green eyes on him. Cloud froze in place, unable to move an inch, not even with Reno nudging him to go forward.

"Oh, there you are Cloud. Sorry for leaving you out there, but I figured you'd find your way." Zack greeted him, nonplussed by Sephiroth's-or Cloud's reaction for that matter. Reno finally pushed him hard enough that he stumbled inside, causing him to shoot another death-glare back at the redhead.

"We found our way back alright. This place is really dusty…" the trooper said, his entire gaze focused on his black-haired friend.

"Tell me about it, my allergies are gonna kick in soon…" Zack waved a hand in front of his nose, and then turned back to the General. "So we gonna do this meeting thing or not?"

Cloud flinched when he felt Sephiroth's gaze turn to him and he inwardly chided himself. Here was his childhood idol, the man who embodied everything he ever wanted, the untouchable hero of the Wutai war himself, right within ten feet of him.

"Strife, I presume?" His voice was soft.

Cloud swallowed down his panic and nodded, and just like that, Sephiroth's eyes slid right away from him. Part of his was glad the scrutiny was over, but the other part whispered that the General hated his guts.

Which he was inclined to believe after Sephiroth's next statement. "Leave. We have business to conduct."

Cloud looked up at him, then to Zack and Angeal, who both held similar frustrated expressions on their faces.

"Sephiroth…" Angeal started, but the General held up his hand.

"You and the Turk are more than enough to patrol the mansion and secure it, am I correct?" Sephiroth's gaze rested once again on the trooper, who again froze in place like cornered prey. Luckily Reno came up behind him and answered. "On it, boss. We'll clear this place of monsters in no time."

The Turk grabbed on Cloud's scarf and yanked it, dragging the dazed boy out of the room. The last thing Cloud saw before he was back in the hallway was Zack's apologetic look.

"Hey, get off, get the hell off!" He wrestled with Reno a bit before he finally let go. "What was that for?"

"You were just standing there like a stunned cactuar, what was I supposed to do?" Reno said nastily. "Look, arguin' with the General's gonna get us nowhere. Believe me, I've tried."

"But he just threw us out…" His childhood idol really did hate him.

"Well duh. He kicked me out before. Ironic, 'cause Tseng sent me here to help them…" the red-head shrugged. "Well, gives us free time to dig up stuff on Hojo here."

Cloud stared at him blankly.

"Y'know, the paper? The one about the freaky experiment in the basement?"

"Why are you so keen on digging stuff up on Hojo?" Cloud asked. He sounded like a person to stay away from. The trooper had mentioned his name around Angeal once and the reaction was unsettling to say the least.

"Nothin' much. Just my job as a Turk to know everything, y'know?" Reno tapped the side of his head with a slender finger. "Now hand over the paper."

Cloud briefly considered giving the teenager a rude hand sign and storming back to Zack and the others, but quickly scrapped it. The General would just kick him out again and he'd make things a ton more difficult for his friends anyway. So, the only thing left to do was go along with Reno's plan, which by the vague sound of it, was something they probably weren't supposed to be doing.

"Fine, I've got nothing better to do," he grumbled and pulled out the paper, wondering when he'd ever be able to change out of his muddy uniform. He looked ridiculous. Reno snatched it away from him with glee, apparently proud his plan was coming to fruition. "It's just a bunch of clues for numbers on a safe."

Reno tapped his chin. "Well, have you seen a safe around here?"

He shook his head. "No, but we haven't checked all the rooms yet."

"Then need I spell it out further?" Reno swept his arms dramatically and suddenly took off for the other rooms on the first floor, clomping around loudly. Cloud briefly wondered how someone who snuck up on him so easily could make so much noise before he too joined the dusty scavenger hunt.

It only took one room with a giant piano to get his trooper uniform also covered in muck and cobwebs and him hitting a few off-tune keys to startle a nest of tiny monsters out of the house. Investigating the rest of the piano though, he noticed something odd about the wall right behind it. "Left 10…" he muttered softly, running his fingers over the letters. _Better tell Reno about that._

He heard some shouting a few seconds later, because apparently Reno had found the actual safe on the second floor. Cloud scrambled up the stairs and ran down the hallway to the left, into the room where the Turk was fastidiously studying a safe mounted on the top of a cabinet.

"Is that it?" Cloud asked.

Reno had his ear pressed up against the safe like he was trying to break into it-which he probably was. "Man Hojo thinks of everything, I can't crack it. Maybe if I was any good at materia…"

"Or you could you know, use the clues on the paper you stole from me," he said, exasperated.

"Oh come on, I didn't steal that from ya!"

Cloud ignored him and snatched it from the floor where the Turk had let it fall. "I think I've already found one of the numbers."

_That _got his attention. "Yeah?"

"Left 10. The second combination. It was behind the piano." He tapped the paper. "This'll tell us where the rest are hidden."

"I know that, the fourth is Right 97." The red-head smirked and Cloud immediately gave him his best death-glare.

"Well then, why don't you actually do your job, Turk?" He snarled, throwing the paper at his face. Reno kept smiling unfazed, catching it in midair.

It didn't take them very long to find the other two numbers. The one on the top of a chest was easy for Cloud and Reno's keen eyes had spotted the number carved into the floor. Pretty soon, the duo were back in the safe room, ready to find out what exactly this secret of Hojo's was, or at least, what pertained to it in the metal box.

"So…." Both of them stared at the safe. "You wanna open it?"

Cloud merely stared his red-haired 'friend' down. "You're a Turk. Isn't this your job?"

"Touche`…" He grumbled and flexed his fingers, resting them on the knob. "One open safe, comin' up."

Looking back on it, neither of them knew why they were so hesitant to open it up. Cloud could sense there was almost something _in _the safe, waiting to leap out and kill them, and as Reno began to spin the dial, counting under his breath, the trooper backed up slowly.

Reno hit the final number and threw open the door, diving aside just in time as a huge monster burst out at their faces.

* * *

"Was that really necessary, Sephiroth?" Angeal said, folding his arms and fixing his friend with a stern glance. Zack stared at the door Reno dragged Cloud out of, partly wanting to go after them, but he figured the boy would be okay, as long as the Turk didn't make anything explode.

"I do not trust the Turk. Or your new friend." The General was unreadable as always, but since Zack had started working with him, he'd like to think he'd gotten way better.

"Please, is that _any _way to treat the guy who helped save Angeal's life?" Zack shot out. Sephiroth turned with a questioning glance, and he sighed. "Did Tseng tell you anything?"

"He merely mentioned you and Angeal would be traveling to Nibelheim with a trooper. I wasn't expecting him to come all this way."

"I wasn't either, but he is," Angeal said, softer this time. "Sephiroth, for whatever it's worth, you can trust the boy. The Turk too. He was personally sent by Tseng, who is Zack's friend."

Sephiroth stared for a long moment, and then sighed, leaning back on the wall. Zack could never call the General old-he had one of those timeless faces-but thats exactly what he seemed to be now. Or tired.

"Why did you leave, Angeal?" He asked, staring at the opposite wall.

"You know very well why I did. Shinra…is rotten. And I was a monster. I couldn't let Genesis go off on his own, but I see now I just abandoned you as well. I am sorry." The older man let out a wry smile.

"Was?"

"Yeah, that's right. Was," Zack spoke up, giving a side-long glance to both of them, as if they dared to oppose. A rare smile formed on Sephiroth's lips.

"I see." He stood up straight again. "I don't think I ever thanked you properly, Zack."

The younger first-class figured now would be a rather bad time to mention Angeal had planned for Zack to kill him. "It's okay, I'm glad we all managed to pull through. Highly doubt we can return to Shinra though."

"Well, I cannot at least. I am not angry enough to attack unwarranted, but I have no love for the company. But as I can tell, you and Cloud will be able to," Angeal said, glancing up at his friend. "Don't worry, I will not abandon you again."

Sephiroth ignored the last statement. "Any word about Genesis?"

Zack raised his hand slightly, taking that one. "Well I….fought him in the bowels of the reactor. He looked really sick, Sephiroth and not very stable. And well he…at the end of the fight he fell into the depths of the reactor. I don't know if he survived."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed, and Zack didn't miss the tightening in his fists. "He would survive. I know him."

"Genesis has a way of perpetuating," Angeal finished.

"Sorry. I know you wanted me to bring them both back." Zack hung his head, as Angeal turned on him, questioning.

"What?"

Zack raised his head, startled. "What? I thought I told you! Sephiroth sent me on that mission to bring both of you back!"

Once again, Angeal looked stricken, unable to respond as he glanced back at his friend.

"The puppy speaks the truth. I figured you would be less likely to attack your student, and I was correct," Sephiroth said.

Angeal flinched.

_Someone's gotta tell him what really happened, but that sounds like a bad idea…_

A shudder went through the floor, along with the sound of a distant monster scream.

"What the hell was that?"

* * *

The monster was not happy the two had woke it up, and had it not been for both of their rather quick thinking to dive to the other side of the room, they would've been killed immediately.

"We should go get Zack!" Cloud yelled at his for-right-now partner, but Reno shook his head.

"No time! It'd finish us off as we left!" The Turk already had his baton out, humming with energy. "We gotta do this ourselves."

Cloud hesitated, then gritted his teeth. What the hell was he thinking? Reno was right. He couldn't keep going and running to someone else to fight battles, not if he ever wanted to be SOLDIER. Cloud needed to make a stand, right here, right now.

He was angry at his weakness. _It's time to take this piece of shit down. _

Of course, it would've been nice if he'd made this decision against an easier creature. The monster had two sides to it, one was purple and the other orange, and the trooper was sure that held some significance, but with no Scan materia, they had to attack to find out. Unfortunately, that was as long as the monster was going to wait before an arm came smashing down by the wardrobe they were hiding behind. Reno darted out of reach again, a spell glowing in his hand before descending on the creature, who screamed in pain. Cloud took advantage of this distraction to draw one of his swords and stab down at the orange hand.

The creature stumbled backwards, turning almost full orange, preparing to swipe at them for another attack.

"What did you do to him," Cloud said hurriedly, running out to the open area where Reno was.

"Cast Bio on him, that should weaken him a bit. If I can paralyze him that might make it easier but…we're gonna need your sword…" Reno was taking deep breaths.

"Got that one covered." He gripped it harder then settled himself into a fighting stance, one of the few things Zack had managed to teach him on the trip over. "Let's hope this thing can't use magic."

* * *

After a few moments of listening, the three of them decided it wasn't a big deal.

"You did go tell Reno and Cloud to clear out the monsters, they probably just found a nasty one," Angeal pointed out. "And Zack, I'm sure the two can handle themselves."

"I know, I know, after all he's being taught by the best." Zack grinned, hiding how uneasy he was. Then again, he needed to let go of the kid sometime. He was with a Turk, and Cloud was far more resourceful then Zack suspected he let on. _They'll be fine. Probably._

"Now that we are no longer distracted, we need to discuss a plan for the future," Sephiroth said, an edge of annoyance to his voice. Noting this, Zack and Angeal nodded, both sitting down at the dilapidated table.

"We know right now that Hollander has been caught by Shinra and being kept in an undisclosed location. Genesis' location is unknown-assuming he is not dead-and nothing out of the ordinary from Hojo." Angeal laid out the basics of their information. "Tseng is helping us, but being the current leader of the Turks, his hands are tied."

"Shinra's priority right now is destroying all evidence of insubordination, as well as any information relating to the failed Project G, as I understand it," Sephiroth said. "That means Genesis, and you."

"What about when we return to Shinra? They're gonna want an explanation for my disappearance." It had been a thing that was worrying Zack for awhile now.

"With Tseng vouching for us, a cover story should not be that hard to fabricate." Sephiroth tapped his fingers against the table. "That is not the real issue here. What we need is information."

"Information that cannot simply be gotten by digging around in remote reactors?" Angeal asked.

Sephiroth's lips started curling into a smile again. "No. This concerns everyone in Shinra. Especially….."

He left off the end of the sentence, but both of them knew who he was talking about. Angeal looked at his with concern, but it was waved away. "I have questions for him, I've just need an…excuse."

"So, me and Seph at least, we go back to Shinra, right? Try to figure out what everyone there is up to. So what are you going to do, Angeal? You can't come back with us," Zack said.

Angeal gripped his fist against the table. "I will search for Genesis. I do not believe he is dead, and I will attempt to find him and return him to his senses."

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Angeal? You're degrading…" Zack was concerned about how much of a toll this was taking on his mentor, who merely sighed at the question.

"Nothing will be accomplished sitting around here. At least this way, there is a chance," he said solemnly.

"With Hojo and Hollander involved in this, we can't be sure of who to trust," Sephiroth pointed out, bringing them back on subject. "I trust Tseng's judgement for the most part, but not this…one he sent us."

"Please, Reno's harmless," Zack said. Both older first classes stared at him.

"Okay, I change my previous statement. He's not harmless, but you can trust him. He is extremely loyal to the Turks from what I know, and barely anyone else."

Angeal smirked. "So just like a normal Turk then."

"It doesn't disregard the fact that they are Shinra's lapdogs." Sephiroth was being stubborn with this one.

"The Turks aren't an enemy we want to have, Sephiroth. They may not be able to do much but we should be thankful some of them are willing to risk it," Angeal stated. Thank Minerva for his mentor being the voice of reason because at least Sephiroth was considering it.

"Fine."

Zack suddenly remembered something else important. "And Cloud is on our side too! We can trust him."

Sephiroth raised a whole eyebrow to that.

"Yeah, yeah, you did that before, but I'm telling the truth. I asked him if he wanted to come along no matter what, and he said yes. Besides, Cloud's gonna be a valuable ally to have as well," Zack said.

"A trooper like him?"

"I'm gonna sponsor him when we get back to Shinra." Even Angeal turned to him in surprise, for Zack hadn't found the time to tell him this. "It's a bit late, but I'm gonna sponsor him to be a SOLDIER."

"Are you sure?" Angeal asked him. "You know was risks that has."

Zack nodded. He'd tossed it around himself, but in the end it was the right decision. Cloud wanted to be a SOLDIER-it was his dream. And who was he to deny that to his friend?

"He saved Angeal's life, and he'll help us out, I'm positive." He nodded, and that argument was over.

There was a long silence from the General before he folded his arms, and nodded, giving in.

"Do what you wish."

After that, the matters were all settled. Their future plan was to collect information and keep Shinra away from Genesis-and vice-versa-while figuring out who the real enemy was here. _Battles were easier fought when the hero knew who to fight. _

But for now, all they could do was settle down, and attempt to figure out the secrets of the Shinra Manor.

* * *

It turned out the creature they were fighting _could_ use magic, and Reno found that out the hard way after he got a blizzard spell almost right to the chest. Cloud didn't have much chance to look, but he appeared to be fine, just sitting out on the edge of the battle.

_If you're okay, then get in here and help me, you piece of shit! _He thought silently, vowing to skin the teenager alive once he figured out how to beat this thing. For this orange form, Cloud had tried lobbing some fire at it from his materia, but it just diffused and scattered. Remembering his sword did damage earlier, and sidestepping another thunder spell-they were easy to predict from something this large-he started to get an idea of the beast's strategy. _Orange means resistance to magic. And I'll bet my left leg its purple side is resistant to physical._

The beast backed up suddenly as he charged head on with his sword, trying to get more range. Cloud was too fast for him though, and he slashed at the weird tentacle things before the thing could swipe him away with its one arm. The creature screeched and flailed, and seeing no other option, Cloud grabbed onto one of the appendages and held on for dear life. This just made the monster angrier and cast off some fire spells at random, which Cloud was hoping wouldn't do that much damage. He had to make it switch forms, and soon-the magic was far more dangerous then its physical attacks.

Cloud brought his right sword around again and kept slashing the appendages, swinging around to miss the clawing hand.

Like he intended, this made the creature mad enough that it backed up and charged at the wall, intending to smash him off. _Good, now I just have to time this okay…_The adrenalin in his system didn't allow for any second-guessing as the wall grew maddeningly closer. He waited, every nerve in his body screaming at him to jump, until the monster was just a few seconds away. The monster crashed into the wall, but Cloud had flipped up and over at the last second, landing him almost squarely on its head.

The creature shrieked again, but the impact stunned it, and the trooper was done giving it any chances. He'd slipped a bit after the landing, so he was almost next to the wall, giving him an opportunity.

_It's over for this one with the next attack. _This needed to be with one blow-Bio had already taken its toll, as well as Cloud's other attacks, so one solid stab would finish off this form. Grip renewed on his sword, and as the monster peeled away, he slid down, planted his feet firmly on the wall, and before he could fall to the ground, jumped sword-first.

His blade sank deep into the orange form's 'chest', causing it to scream in pain and knocked Cloud to the floor. He hit it hard, his teeth vibrating, but got himself up again, knowing this battle wasn't over. Already the orange form was fading into dust, his sword clattering to the ground, but there was no time to go get it; nor would it be of any use anyway.

The purple form had completely manifested and Cloud was quickly running out of stamina. Already he was breathing hard and sweat was running into his face. Cloud wasn't sure how much energy he could put into his materia at this point, but he had to try.

"You gonna just sit there?!" He yelled, drawing out the other sword. The purple form's eye fixed itself on him and a large meaty hand suddenly rushed at him.

"Shit." He dived out of the way, nearly crashing into a flaming piece of lumber. He was wrong. The physical form was more dangerous. Cloud only got off a low level Fire before the beast swung at him again, this time clipping him on the shoulder and forcing him to the ground again.

_At least it was my left side…_He backed up as far as he could in the rather cramped room, attempting to get range. This form needed the exact opposite strategy as the orange one. _One big move. I just need a big spell._

The green glow of the Bio spell meant Reno's poison was still active, but that just weakened him slightly. Cloud needed a distraction that would allow him time to cast, and since physical attacks didn't work…..

A final rush of energy was enough to get him to dodge the next attack, the fist slamming into the wall and cracking the plaster and woodwork. He was unsure if this was going to work, but Cloud could feel the way the materia sung to him, so he was almost certain he could get it to do what he wanted.

"Come on, don't let me down…" he whispered as he ran the fingers of his right hand down the blade of his sword, filling it with flames. As he got to the end, the entire metal shined with a white-hot glow, and was wreathed in fire.

"EAT THIS!" Cloud yelled at the monster, and threw the sword. It spun across the room like a lopsided comet, and with his fingers crossed, hit almost exactly the center of its eye. The creature shrieked, backing up and desperately clawing at the offending object, but the trooper wasted no more time. Cloud brought the materia on his right wrist to his chest, charging it up with all the energy he could muster. It glowed brightly and he could feel the heat through his glove but he didn't stop. As soon as he felt himself hit the limit, Cloud raised his hands above his head and unleashed hell.

A giant wave of flame erupted from his hands, shooting at the monster, while small fireballs bounced around and disappeared. It separated into three chunks, all of which slammed into the creatures body, engulfing it in flames, and incinerating it into dust. He felt something on his arm break, but didn't bother to check until the smoke and fire cleared and he saw the monster was no more. His materia had broken-he'd cast a spell so powerful, it shattered the green stone.

_I….I did it. I killed the thing….all by myself…._Cloud stared down at his fists which were now shaking with exertion. He really had done it. That monster was dead because of him. Looking back on the last few minutes, he couldn't even believe it had done all those things, and if it hadn't been for the destroyed room, Cloud would think he'd imagined it all.

But the monster was gone, and his swords were lying on the floor, and his materia was still shattered. The nerves of what he'd actually done had caught up to him and his legs collapsed from under him, causing him to sit down really hard and gulp in big breaths.

A lone clapping sound alerted him to the presence of Reno, whom he'd completely forgotten about. Turning, Cloud was about to give him a piece of his mind, but stopped short when he saw the utterly shocked look on the Turk's face.

"Holy SHIT, Cloud, where the hell did that come from?" He asked wildly.

"You could've helped you know," the trooper spat out.

"Yeah, I know. But I wanted to see what the great Cloud Strife was made of. Turns out, a lot more impressive then anyone said. Man, I didn't know you could get out a Firaga." Reno seemed to be genuinely impressed, but all Cloud felt was tired.

"You're a piece of crap, you know that?" Cloud tried to sound annoyed, but it fell far short of his mark, as Reno started to smile. His grin was infectious and soon Cloud started laughing. "I really did all of that, didn't I?"

"I dunno why SOLDIER hasn't picked you up yet, but man, with skills like that, you could come an' be a Turk with me," Reno said, pulling Cloud up from the floor. The statement still unexpectedly stung, and he winced when the red-head wasn't looking.

_Right, SOLDIER…._But Zack had promised to help with that, so Cloud stopped himself from getting depressed. After all, he'd just killed a large and extremely angry monster.

"So, why don't we go check out what was so important that Hojo needed to put THAT inside." Reno rubbed his hands gleefully, looking over at the safe, and Cloud had no objections.

* * *

Deep in the ground, Chaos began to wake.


	8. Skeletons in the Basement

**Author's Note: And the moment everyone was waiting for, Vincent Valentine. Not much for me to say here except thank you for continued support and this chapter was suprisingly hard to write, and more...interesting stuff will keep happening next chapters or so. **

**Writing scenes that are reminiscent of Crisis Core always hurt my heart though.**

**As I always say, enjoy. -Xar**

* * *

"The shuddering stopped." Zack looked up. The room had been shaking slightly until there was the sound of what seemed to be a small explosion. "What's going on?"

He got up and stuck his head out of the door, but nothing seemed that different from before. He didn't hear anyone calling for help, and as much as he wanted to run out and see what they were up to, he knew he owed it to Sephiroth to stick around just a little longer.

He shrugged, turning back to the two. "I guess they're doing okay."

"I hear Lazard deserted," Angeal said, changing the subject.

"Yes…that seems to be the case. He apparently was funding Hollander. For what reason, I do not know," Sephiroth answered. Zack's attention was split-curious as to what was going on in the mansion and also wanting to participate in their discussion. It was getting hard to focus.

"He seemed okay when we were off on…."Zack looked sideways at his mentor. He was talking about the same mission that Angeal deserted on. "I don't know what happened."

This entire case was frustrating. They had already established they knew nothing and needed to find out more, but higher powers were involved, and everyone appeared to be the enemy. Zack's only goal right now was to keep his friends safe, and that included Sephiroth, Angeal, AND Cloud. He swore that on his life.

Sephiroth shook his head. "This entire situation is fishy. Lazard certainly does not seem to be that type of man, but want for power does strange things to a person."

"Shinra is not a healthy workplace, you mean?" Angeal asked. "What about Veld? I've heard rumors about the Turk leader."

"So have I, but I do not know anything definite," Sephiroth said. "We could always ask Reno, but I doubt we would get a straight answer."

_You know how Turks are, _his eyes seemed to say.

"Look, if we keep talking about this, we'll just go around in circles and get nowhere." This time, Zack tried to be a voice of reason. "We've already established we need more information, but for now we can't do anything. Why not just figure out whats happening now?"

The two SOLDIERS looked at him quizzically.

"Y'know, like why Hojo wants Sephiroth to come to a run-down place like this?" He gestured his hand wildly at the broken-down building. Zack had just realized the oddity of this himself and right now, it seemed more of a pressing issue then what Shinra may or may not be doing.

Sephiroth looked shocked too-as if the sudden arrival of his friend had caused him to forget as well. _How unlike you, Seph._

"That is a very good question," The General muttered.

* * *

Cloud half expected something else to leap out at them when Reno swung the door open, but nothing happened. Inside was a key and a small red materia, indicating a summon. The rest was empty. Reno looked disappointed, but took them both anyway, examining the summon for a minute before tossing it to Cloud.

"I suck with summons so you can have it. You earned it anyway," he said absentmindedly, more interested in the key. Cloud looked at him funny, but accepted the stone anyway. It wasn't every day a trooper like him came across a powerful summon materia-those things were usually reserved for higher ranking officers or a very lucky mercenary, they were so rare.

Cloud rolled it around in his palm a bit. He had enough sense to know not to activate it-besides, with the trick he just pulled off, he highly doubted he could. The complete lack of magical power he could explain by running out of energy, but his right arm he used to cast felt odd, and the spot where he equipped the materia was numb.

That was a problem for another time. I didn't seem to affect anything so Cloud ignored it and focused on the summon again. _Which one are you?_

_Odin. _A voice seemed to answer, and he jumped slightly. Right. These materia contained fragments of spirits, why wouldn't they talk back?

"Man, I have no idea what this thing goes to," Reno said, breaking Cloud out of his focus. "I ain't seen a locked room in this whole place!"

"Have you really checked every single room?" The trooper retorted.

"You doubtin' me, Slick?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, I don't take advice from nobodies." Reno stuck his tongue out at him, and Cloud chucked the materia at the Turk, realizing too late that that was a bad idea. Reno's hand snatched it out of the air, just enraging Cloud further.

"Give that back!" Reno danced out of Cloud's desperate reach.

"Make me!" The Turk suddenly turned around and dashed off out of the room. Barely sparing a glance behind-Cloud hoped Hojo had actually fireproofed the room-he broke out into a run, yelling, "RENO, YOU JERK! GET BACK HERE!"

The Turk was fast, but so was Cloud, even after his fight with the monster. Plus he had the element of unbridled rage on his side, and as Reno ran across the hallway and weaved around the rooms on the other side, the trooper hopped up on a table and tackled him.

Or more accurately, tackled his feet, since Reno was still way too quick. He fell loudly to the floor, the materia flying out of his hand and hitting the opposite stone wall with a solid thunk.

"Geddoff-you-"Reno struggled to push the trooper off of him, until he finally kneed Cloud in the gut and quickly stood up. Cloud came up too, ready to swing, but Reno was staring at the wall he nearly face-planted into. "Did that sound hollow to you?"

Not one to give up that easily, Cloud stamped down on Reno's foot, causing him to yelp in pain. "That was for calling me a nobody."

"Not fair, yo!" Reno hissed. Cloud merely turned around and mimicked the Turk by sticking out his tongue at him. Inwardly laughing at Reno's murderous expression, he picked up the summon materia, this time stuffing it in his pocket, and examined the wall. Now that he looked at it, it did seem rather out of place: a large stretch of the stone was uncovered. Reno reached around him and knocked his fist against the wall, the sound echoing back as if something were behind it. "Yep. Hollow."

"You know, I'm not surprised this manor has secret passages," Cloud said. _Damn, I should've thought of that. _

"Move it, spiky, let me check it." Reno shoved the trooper out of the way and began to run his fingers all over the cracks, checking for a trigger.

"Don't call me spiky!" He grumbled, letting Reno do his job. He _was _better at finding hidden things like these-it was probably written in his job description somewhere.

Not five minutes later, Reno's clever fingers found what seemed to be the switch and an entire section of the wall shuddered, slowly pulling open. Both of them leaped back, at the ready, afraid of what hideous monster was going to leap at them next. But, nothing happened, and the wall just slowly thudded open, the entrance shrouded in a lank darkness.

Reno took a few steps forward, peering down into the the dusty abyss. "I think we found the basement."

"This manor has a basement?"

"Yeah, didn't you know? Or is that like classified info or somethin'?" Reno grinned at him from under his arm.

"I've never been inside, and I'm not privileged to information like a Turk," Cloud said, holding back the very real urge to call Reno a moron. He only vaguely recalled the sewer system connecting to something underground but hell and to him _that _had even sounded like a legend.

Reno waved him off and looked back inside. "Think the key unlocks something down here?"

"Probably. But I'm not going down there without my sword." With what they'd already found in this mansion, Cloud wasn't surprised if all the worst monsters were hidden in the basement. Besides, that's how it always worked in horror movies.

One sword and equipped summon materia later-though his arm was still feeling numb-and the duo were ready to head into the basement. After the fight with the safe creature, Cloud was feeling a lot more confident in his abilities but he was still exhausted from that last fight, and he noticed Reno had pulled out a gun.

"How long have you had that with you?" Cloud asked incredulously.

"What're you talkin' about? It's like a Turk trademark to have hidden weapons. Man, you don't even know _half _of what I'm packin'," Reno said flippantly. "'sides, I don't use this much. I'm a terrible shot."

The trooper wondered if that last statement was really true-Reno had said the same thing about materia, and while Cloud never saw him in action, he knew the Turk had at least three or four equipped.

He still made a vow not to stand in front of the red-head in case he was telling the truth.

"Whatever, lets go." He readied his sword.

"What, no running back to your SOLDIER friends?"

"Do you want me to tell them?" Cloud asked in a dangerous tone.

"Nah. You're stickin' up for yourself. I like." Leaving the trooper confused, Reno bounded into the newly-discovered entrance and disappeared.

* * *

"My mission here is to investigate oddities in the Shinra Manor and the reactor, as I understand it." The report did not specifically say that, but that was how the General interpreted it and didn't care to think on it further. His stomach turned at the thought of doing any favors for the despicable Hojo, however his dear friend depended upon his visit…

And what a visit, for though he showed nothing through his careful eyes, Sephiroth was glad to see Angeal once again in relative safety. Ever since he heard both him and Genesis had taken off without him-_how could they-_Sephiroth had been winding himself up into what he would call a panic, if he were a lesser man. Zack was a boon-not only was he a resourceful friend, but was willing to help bring them back to him, even when-_yes I will admit it-_too fearful to do himself.

"Specifically, there is a secret passage hidden on the second floor that leads to the basement. There is also a sewer system but it is mostly inoperable," he said calmly.

"Hidden room, I expected as much." Angeal looked to be pondering something.

"I wonder what creepy stuff's down there. I mean, all the locals have stories of this place and I'm starting to see why." His puppy, not so much.

_I am being too harsh, he is more then that._

"It is most likely related to Hojo's research." He was _not _looking forward to this at all. "As for the reactor, there have been disturbances in the machinery, apparently by the main core. We are to investigate exactly what."

"You mean you are," Zack said. "Sephiroth, there is something fishy with this whole thing."

"I agree,"Angeal added on. "Why would the General of SOLDIER need to come inspect a reactor at such a remote place?"

"Maybe we should've asked Cloud if there was anything special about this one…" Zack was thinking, and Sephiroth turned to him, curious. Sensing his gaze, Zack amended hastily, "Cloud, the blond-haired kid? He's a Nibelheim native. He would know about the area."

Sephiroth ignored the pointed you-should-not-have-kicked-him-out look in favor of further discussion. "Perhaps we can ask him later. I am not keen on following Hojo's orders; however, we need to make it look as though I came here to do my job, especially with the two regulars assigned to me."

"Are they stationed in Nibelheim?" Angeal asked.

He nodded. "They are to keep locals away from the mansion as well as ask around about any unusual activity. We cannot forget about them."

"I say we regroup then, _all of us, _and attempt our mission later after briefing everyone. I dunno about you but I've been riding on a chocobo all day," Zack said.

_Hmm. The puppy is growing up as well. I approve. _

But that meant the Turk and the trooper as well. Sephiroth knew he was being childish and paranoid, but unpredictable factors threatened his sense of safety. The trooper alone did not seem much of a threat-in fact, he appeared rather scared of the General, but Turks he did not trust as far as he could throw one. While Tseng was easier to get along with then most Shinra personnel, Sephiroth knew the purpose of the Turks was to do whatever the president (and his son) said, without question. He gritted his teeth slightly when he realized he would have to trust Zack on this.

_Did he give you reason to doubt him before? No. I will attempt to be civil. _

But that didn't mean he was going to make it easy for them.

* * *

"Oww, my head…"

"Oh shut up, you're barely even bleeding." Cloud squinted in the dim light, but he was right. There was a cut across the red-head's forehead, but only a little blood trickled out.

"I can still complain, can't I? This is all your fault, chocobo-head!" Reno growled at him and then shuffled upwards again.

"It was three steps. Stop being melodramatic." Okay, so it was Cloud's fault. The wooden spiral stairs were rickety and some of them were missing, but they had almost made it to the bottom in one piece, had it not been for Cloud's boot snagging on a protruding nail. He wouldn't have even fallen down completely, had he not knocked into Reno who dragged them both down. Or something. Now his arms were full of splinters.

The only consolation prize from this was that the Turk looked like he'd been dragged through a dusty wood-filled sewer too.

"Clumsy ass…" Reno muttered, staring down the hallway. "Man, be glad this isn't like slum water, or you'd probably have like the flu or somethin'."

_I'll give you the flu, _he thought angrily, which in hindsight, made absolutely no sense. "Can we just go find what this key is for and wake up some ancient demon or whatever?"

"Whatever you say, Cloudy." Reno took off in a strut down the dank, dark hallway. Cloud quickly caught up to him, not wanting to be left alone. The little tumble must have dulled his senses, because he certainly wasn't expecting a two-headed creepy zombie thing to jump out at him.

He would never admit it later, but Cloud screamed loudly and under reflex, punched the monster directly in the face. They-or Reno mostly, in this case-killed the thing a few seconds later, though the Turk was almost laughing too hard to deal with it properly.

Cloud yanked on his hair and reminded him he was an idiot.

They continued on like this after a little bit, this far more aware of their environment. The tunnel curved around a bit before ending up at a doorway that looked like it lead to some sort of library with a lab attached.

"Well this is certainly interesting…"Reno said, leaning slightly in. He raised his gun-which he managed to pick up again-and quickly scanned the room for traps or enemies. Cloud just stayed behind his line of fire, drawing out his one sword and getting on the other side of the door. His eyes swept over the right side of the room; it was full of weird machinery, a couple of what looked like mako pods on the wall and an extremely foreboding solid metal table in the middle. That had suspicious looking marks on it.

Both of them nodded, and then quickly entered, covering each other against any attack.

Except it was silent, and nothing stirred except for a stray piece of paper under Reno's shoe. They both lowered their weapons, almost disappointed.

"Well other then the creepy-as-hell mad scientist lab over there, there doesn't seem to be anything in here to unlock." Cloud spoke up first. There wasn't even a safe-it was just a shelves and computers and that was it.

"That's disappointing," Reno said, putting away his gun, but keeping his EMR at the ready. Now that they knew nothing was going to suddenly leap out at them…

Cloud looked around again, staying away from the chilling laboratory section. "This place is so well hidden, there could be another hidden door somewhere."

The trooper held Reno's gaze for a minute before they both spoke in unison. "The hallway."

As it turned out, they were right. Just as they left the library, the pair came upon a solid-looking door on the right, locked tightly with an intimidating padlock.

"I'll bet you 50 gil this is where our mystery key goes," Reno said gleefully, his eyes lighting up. Cloud couldn't help but do the same-this was a great mystery that piqued his curiosity. As always, he let Reno open the door-mostly because the red-head refused to give up the key. After waiting a few moments, the lock thudded to the floor and Cloud shoved the door open, weapon at ready.

A puff of dust was the only thing that flew at them, and after the trooper stopped coughing and his vision cleared, he was struck by the odd interior.

This mystery room was much smaller and there was less inside of it. His eyes were drawn to the three large, old coffins that took up most of the floor space. Cloud swallowed, disgusted. _This is a crypt…_

"Holy…." Whatever Reno was expecting to find, it certain wasn't this. The coffins loomed up, filling Cloud's vision, and he started getting the same weird sense in his brain, like something living was creeping around in there.

He took a few tentative steps forward, swearing he could almost hear a soft whisper on the dust-laden air. Cloud sensed movement as Reno followed him, though his partner made no distinguishable noise.

"What d'ya suppose is in there…?" The Turk whispered, as if afraid to wake whatever was sleeping in the crypt.

The trooper's stomach twisted again as he thought of all the different possibilities. "Whatever it is, I really hope its nothing Hojo made." _Or if it is, something that's already dead._

The two stood in silence for a little while longer, the dark coffin eating away at their psyche. Cloud had a desperate urge to throw the lid off at once, but if this were an extra lab of Hojo's, something worse then the safe monster might come popping out. And that didn't explain the sense of wrongness, the same hovering around the reactor and the red-coated man.

No, wrong didn't describe it. This was something different, something older and far wilder. A deep power, pulsing almost in tune to the Planet itself-

**Do not be afraid. **

Cloud jumped, staring up at Reno. Where had that voice come from? Certainly not Reno, who hadn't moved from his spot by the coffin. By the looks of it, he hadn't heard it either, from the way he was staring. Cloud just shrugged and stared back at the coffin. That left only one possibility.

"Wouldn't it be funny if Hojo kept dead bodies in there?" Reno grinned, earning a nervous glare.

"Help me with this will you?" He asked, gripping his fingers on the edge of the lid and trying to lift. Reno needed no other prompting and soon the two were raising it inch by inch until the entire thing tipped over the left side and clattered onto the floor.

Cloud gasped and Reno let out a "Holy Shit!" at the contents of the coffin. Reno had been right-lying peacefully inside was a perfectly preserved body.

* * *

"What the fresh hell happened in here?" Zack exclaimed when they came upon a room that Cloud and Reno had apparently been in. No, been in wasn't the right word. _Completely destroyed _was more along the lines of what happened. Pieces of discarded lumber and twisted furniture were everywhere, small fires flickering along the floor and walls, and the only thing moving was the forlorn swinging of a door on an empty safe.

"Well, now we know what the source of the shaking was," Sephiroth said, stepping over the destruction gracefully.

_Is he amused by all this? _

"Yeah but what attacked them to make a mess like this? This is not a normal monster!" Zack said loudly. And was that-he rushed over to where Sephiroth was, but the General had already beaten him to it. In his hand was a smaller sword, except the blade had been partly melted and folded back in on itself.

"That's one of the swords I gave Cloud!" He said, staring in shock. How on earth did the sword get in that state? This kid might have shown some skill with it, but there was no way he could bend the blade that much, unless it was the monster's doing.

"I presume by the lack of another sword, he still has the other one and the Turk is with him?" Angeal proposed.

"I would assume so." Sephiroth smirked at Zack, handing him the sword. "I'm impressed they could create this much carnage." The first-class just stared numbly after him.

Zack wasn't sure whether he should feel impressed or worried.

* * *

Both of them froze in place for a few seconds, but the body didn't seem to be moving. Glancing at each other, Cloud and Reno crept forward to inspect their find. The body-the man-had long black hair and skin that looked like it had been drained of all blood. His clothes were even more curious-most of it was black, except for the red tattered cape and headband, and the shining gold gauntlet that covered the man's left arm. It matched quite well with his boots, which were also golden and looked like they could put someones eye out.

"Is that a vampire, yo?" Reno whispered in Cloud's ear. Normally the trooper would just tell the red-head off for being stupid but he honestly wasn't sure at this point. It certainly didn't look alive so he tentatively reached out a hand….

The glowing red eyes opened.

Cloud jumped backwards and Reno's EMR hummed into existence. Neither of them moved as the body slowly sat up and turned towards them, fixing his glare upon the two.

"Why have you disturbed me?" He spoke with a voice so rusty it sounded like it hadn't been used in years.

Luckily Reno was quicker to the punch. "Disturbed you? We didn't know anything living was down here, yo!"

The strange dead man fixed his gaze upon the red-head, speaking a single word. "Turk?"

"Yeah, and what's it to ya?" His voice betrayed none of the nervousness the Turk seemed to be feeling.

The man didn't answer but merely turned his head to Cloud, who had his sword at the ready. "I'm with him," he answered the silent question curtly.

Cloud was ready to break and run at any moment. He'd had enough of Hojo's twisted monsters and the talking corpse was the last straw. Reno, at least, seemed to have the same idea. The man clearly wasn't forthcoming any information-or moving at all-but the two weren't budging either.

All of a sudden, in a flash of red, the man was in the air, flipping around until he slowly landed on his feet at the edge of the coffin, his cape flowing around him. Cloud's eyes widened. He hadn't even seen the man _move. _

The red eyes opened again, and glared straight through Cloud's soul. "What is your business here?"

It was only then that he noticed the literal hand-cannon strapped to his leg and the deadly gleam in the pale man's eyes. "Vampire…" Reno said softly, then made a break for it at the same time Cloud did. Something told him that no matter how well he'd done against the safe monster, this man was on a whole different level and challenging him was asking for death penalty.

"Are we going to tell Sephiroth about _THIS?"_ Cloud shouted wildly as they ran down the stone passageway to the rickety stairs.

"Be my guest, man!" Reno answered, glancing quickly behind them. Cloud saw another flash of red in his vision and suddenly the strange man was _there, straight in front of them, _and both of them skidded to a stop.

The red-cloaked man merely stood there, the gauntlet flickering silently in the dim lighting from the staircase. "Unusual for a Turk to run away."

Perhaps he shouldn't have said that, because out of nowhere, Reno suddenly swung his EMR around, lashing out at the dark figure. Against a normal opponent, the attack would've easily hit, for Reno was fast as lightning, but there was nothing normal about this man. The gauntlet flashed up, catching the rod in between its fingers, small traces of electricity flickering down it like it was nothing. Reno growled, frustrated.

"More like I know when to fight my battles," he said, attempting to jerk it away. The man's grip was too strong, and Cloud briefly considered striking at him until he made his next statement.

"Did you say Sephiroth?"

Cloud stopped in his tracks, shocked. What was going on? Reno hadn't let up his tug-of-war, but he too seemed confused.

"Yes?" Cloud said, glancing over at his partner.

"He is here?" The pale man asked again, a strange curiosity lighting up in his eyes.

"He's our commanding officer on this mission, so let-" Reno pulled his EMR away from the man-"go."

The mysterious figure seemed not to notice, lost in whatever his own thoughts were. Cloud stood there awkwardly, not sure whether to attack, for the man no longer seemed a threat.

"How…old is he?" The man leveled his stare at Reno.

"Like in his 20s? Why the hell do you care?" The Turk said, exasperated.

"20 years…." The strangers voice faded away into silence, hiding a deep tinge of sadness. "I have slept for 20 years…"

Cloud cocked his head, lowering his sword all the way. "Are you saying you were trapped down in that room for over 20 years?"

The glowing red gaze fixed on him, but made no other reaction. Reno however, whistled. "I'm impressed. You don't look a day _over _20. "

The strange man ignored him. Cloud tried a different tactic, for it seemed as though the man only talked to them when Sephiroth was mentioned.

"Do you know the General?" The trooper asked, but the man seemed not to hear him at all, only whispering under his breath. Reno glanced over at him, giving him a look like, _who is this freak?_

Cloud didn't know, but after the initial scare of finding a body in a coffin, the man no longer seemed dangerous-at least to them. In the dim light, Cloud could barely see him and he moved more silently and fluidly then any Turk he'd met.

And there was that mysterious voice and connection. The man was like Angeal almost, with a strange sense of another presence hanging over him, but not as horrible and stomach-twisting. Rather, it felt like materia. Like a part of the planet, and Cloud was sure the other man felt it as well.

He was desperate to ask but knew he would get no answers.

"Take me to him," the man said suddenly, startling Cloud from his thoughts.

"I'll think about it after you tell me who you are," Reno replied, his EMR resting on his shoulders. He didn't seem to trust the man, and Cloud could see why, but Reno could also not sense what he did. Then again, the gun in the sheath looked massive, and the trooper wondered if his sixth sense was really the best thing to listen to.

Perhaps if the stranger had been more expressive he would've rolled his eyes, but his mouth barely moved as he spoke. "Vincent Valentine."

Cloud did not recognize that name, but Reno obviously did from the way his eyes widened.

"Yeah, I can. He's upstairs. Follow us." The Turks voice sounded like he was being strangled, and Cloud shot him a questioning glance about the sudden change-of-heart. Reno just waved it off. "I'll tell you later."

Cloud stared at the strange man-Valentine-as he slowly walked past him and up to the stairwell. Who exactly was he?

* * *

No one spoke as Cloud led them up to the mansion proper. It was a very weird trip, basically like being followed by two shadows that made absolutely no noise. Every creak under his boot and shift of the fabric on his uniform was horribly noticeable, and even his breath sounded deafening to his ears, so he unconsciously tried to copy the way the Turks walked.

The room they came out in was just as empty as ever, as was the hallway. "Think the others discovered our battlefield?" Reno asked, peering out into it.

"Don't look at me. I don't know what they're up to." But at least Cloud now had an excuse to go disturb their super secret meeting. He glanced behind him to see if Valentine was still there-he was, and _man _that was creepy-before walking down the hallway.

"Zack! Angeal!" Cloud called out their names, figuring they'd be the ones to answer. He was right; there was a scuffle on the opposite end and his friend emerged.

"Cloud! There you are, I was worried!" Zack said, rushing over to him. "What the hell happened to you?"

Cloud presumed he meant his tattered uniform and scraped up face. "Well uh…we fought something. And then found a secret passage and fell down it." He left off the part about finding a dead man in the basement, seeing how that was best explained by seeing.

"Man, it looked like something tore apart that room. And a secret passage?" Zack stared at him quizzically. Cloud waved him off, a bit too distracted to explain. It would be easier to after the whole debacle with Vincent Valentine was settled.

"That isn't all that happened in the basement." Cloud was cut off by both Angeal and Sephiroth coming out of the same room. His heart skipped a beat as his gaze lingered on the General's face, but he was relieved as well. "Sephiroth! I mean...General!"

The General stared at him in surprise. "Yes?"

He stared back at the hallway, where Reno was emerging, looking around. "Man, Cloud, did you see him go past you? I turn away for one second and he disappeared!"

"What? No..." Cloud shook his head.

"Who is this you're talking about?" Angeal asked curtly.

"I've been trying to tell you! We found someone-"

There was a rush of air and suddenly Vincent Valentine was standing there, on the edge of the balcony. Now that he was in full sunlight, the strangely-dressed man cut an even more impressive figure-he seemed as tall as Sephiroth, and even paler, his eyes and armor gleaming softly. The cape seemed to have a life of its own, fluttering and twisting around him, despite there being no breeze to even lift a hair.

Zack swore, and the rest of the group drew their weapons. Cloud barely saw the swift movements and the singing of Masamune as it left its sheath but he reacted immediately, running in front of Valentine. The blade hummed to a stop barely a centimeter from his face and that was all he could focus on.

"Explain, Strife." Sephiroth said in a deadly voice. Cloud didn't respond until the sword was moved more away from his face, then spoke up.

"Like I was trying to say before, _sir, _Reno and I were exploring the mansion like you requested us and came upon a secret passage, which led to an unidentified crypt. Inside one of the coffins was this man, and he requested to see you," Cloud said, all in one go.

The sword lowered slightly but did not go down. The trooper shot a glance back at Valentine, like _you could say something, you know, _but the man was fixated upon Sephiroth.

"Why should I trust this man?" Sephiroth asked again.

"Because," Reno drawled, coming up from behind them, "That's Vincent Valentine, a retired Turk and former partner of Veld."

Cloud stared at him and the red-head had the nerve to smile right back at him. Sephiroth's eyes flicked from Reno back to Valentine, who was still frozen.

"Is this true?" he asked of the dark-haired man.

"You look so much like her…" Valentine suddenly spoke, ignoring the question, his voice much softer then when he'd talked before.

Cloud had never seen the great General dumbfounded, but now that was the only way to describe the expression on his face.

"What?"

"Your mother…" Valentine studied Sephiroth, his eyes not missing a single detail. "You look like Lucrecia."

The sword dropped away completely. "My mother is Jenova."

_That _name definitely triggered something in him, for his expression immediately darkened, and Cloud quickly stepped away from the former Turk, beginning to fear for his safety.

"Jenova? That monster? The Calamity could never be someone's _mother." _The last line was almost spoken as if Valentine himself were not talking, but rather something inside of him.

Sephiroth and Vincent Valentine stood off against each other, neither speaking and moving from their respective spots, as if attempting to mentally break the other down. The lines on their faces were even eerily similar, and Cloud couldn't breathe, for fear of setting one of them off.

Eventually, it was Valentine who stood down first, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I have much to tell you, Sephiroth, about your origins. You need-no, you deserve to know. You deserve to know the curse Hojo has wrought upon us all."

At Hojo's name, the rest of the group-except for Reno, who had a growing look of horror on his face-started.

"I should have known that bastard would be involved in this," Angeal growled, and Zack looked of similar sentiment. Valentine shot a strange glance at them, but still focused on Sephiroth.

"I wish to hear this as well," Angeal said. The strange Turk looked almost annoyed by this fact, but otherwise made no move to stop him from staying.

The two older SOLDIERS stared pointedly at Zack and Cloud. "Really? Okay, okay, I can tell when we're not wanted," the black-haired SOLDIER grumbled.

Cloud started to protest-_they could ask for us to stay!_ - since he was being kicked out _again_, when Zack whispered in his ear. "_Look, we can eavesdrop and I'll tell you what I know, but play along for now." _

Cloud still wasn't happy, but he let Zack start dragging him out of the room under the guise of finding something less torn apart for him to wear. As they were leaving, and Sephiroth started talking softly to Angeal, Cloud held up a hand to wait.

"Reno," he asked, concerned, "Are you okay?"

The teenager had a stricken look on his face ever since Valentine himself had mention Hojo. Paler and less composed then usual, Reno actually seemed on the verge of panic.

"Hojo…it can't be…that means…" Cloud could only catch small bits of what he was muttering.

"Reno!"

The Turk jumped, his eyes flashing to the trooper.

"What the hell is wrong?" Cloud asking seemed to only aggravate the situation, as Reno backed up, and gripped his EMR tight.

"Leave me the fuck alone!" He shouted and suddenly dashed out onto the balcony, jumping down in a smooth move and continuing until he-presumably-left the house.

"What's gotten into him?" Cloud asked, worried now, but with Zack dragging him, the only thing he saw before leaving the area was Vincent's cold gaze.

* * *

One of the bedrooms had a closet full of spare uniforms, thankfully, because his was covered in mud and things he didn't want to know about. Zack rummaged around in them, humming, looking for one that fit.

"Hey, if we do this quickly, we can figure out what they're saying," Zack said, flipping his head back to look at his friend.

"Do _you _know who Vincent Valentine is?" Cloud asked him, curious to Reno's reaction. He'd never heard of the man; then again, Turks were extremely secretive.

"Nope. Tseng and Cissnei never mentioned anyone like him, but your friend's reaction says there's more to his story." Zack finished his task, pulling out something that looked small enough for Cloud. "Here you go!"

Cloud stared at the uniform. It was the right size, but…"Zack, that's a SOLDIER First uniform. I can't wear that."

His friend looked confused at first, then chuckled. "Cloud, its fine. It's not like you're impersonating an officer or anything. You can just say you made due with the supplies you have."

Cloud still wasn't sure about it. Shinra was notoriously difficult about rules. Besides, his uniform wasn't that bad, right? They were only going to be staying here for maybe another day or two….

"Cloud, just take it. If they try to get you in trouble, I'll head them off. Seph will too, once I uh, convince him." Cloud raised an eyebrow, doubting Zack's ability to do that, but halfheartedly took it anyway. He really didn't want to be covered in mud anymore, which is something he had worse than Reno, at the very least.

"Also, the quicker we do this the more we can eavesdr-I mean, you know." Zack gave him his famous puppy eyes and Cloud crumbled in seconds.

"Okay fine," he grumbled, going off to a corner to change. He was happy to get rid of all the extra fabric, even if it helped with warmth, though he elected to leave off the clunky pauldrons on the SOLDIER uniform.

It was surprisingly comfortable, especially the ribbed turtleneck, and he could see why some of the SOLDIERS never really took it off. Pulling on the gloves, he turned back to Zack. The only problem would be the bare arms, but physical activity would alleviate that.

Zack was grinning at him as he came over. "What?"

"Nothing. See?" He gave a friendly jab at Cloud's shoulder. "It looks great on you!"

Cloud sputtered and hid his face, which he was sure was burning red by now. Did he really _have _to say that? Zack merely laughed as his reaction, resting a hand on the shorter boys shoulder. "It really does, Cloud. You'll make a good SOLDIER, I just know it."

Cloud didn't trust his voice right now or he would've said something back, so he merely shook his head in embarrassment.

"Right. Let's go sneak around and get in trouble now!" Zack grinned, getting a new mischievous look on his face. Cloud nodded, and followed him, quickly storing one of his swords in the harness on his back. He wanted to know just how many times Zack had gotten in trouble for something like this.

* * *

The two of them crept back as silently as they could, even if SOLDIER boots weren't really conducive to stealth. Zack motioned with his hand to stop, and then Cloud scooted under his arm, closer to the doorway to hear what was going on.

"-don't suppose you will tell us your connection to Hojo?" Sephiroth's voice was heard first.

"It's something you don't need to know. Nor do I…know myself." Valentine's voice was low and hard to hear.

"If you don't want to talk about it, we won't force you. We all have our secrets." Angeal seemed a little bit right of Sephiroth.

"You too, carry Jenova's taint." Vincent. There was a shuffling sound from Angeal's direction but he did not speak.

"I urge you, Sephiroth, to not do what Hojo says. This reactor has been abandoned for years, and whatever his motives, it does not mean well for you." Valentine's warning was soft, and Zack and Cloud looked quizzically at each other. Cloud didn't know much about any of this, much less what this Jenova-**_the Calamity rises!_**_-_thing was, but Zack seemed to have an inkling. _I'll just ask him later. He promised._

"Are you doing this because you promised my m-mother?" Sephiroth seemed to be having trouble with that word.

"Anything I do now could not possibly resolve me of the sins I have committed. I have failed to protect Lucrecia, it is only fair that I am unable to do the same for her son." Vincent's voice was still soft, but strained. Cloud blinked. Was this Lucrecia person Sephiroth's mother he mentioned before? So the Turk _did _know her. Then he knew about Sephiroth's experiment…

"There are things beyond our control, you need not blame yourself for everything." Angeal spoke in a self-deprecating voice, which caused Zack to roll his eyes. 'I try so hard,' he mouthed silently at the trooper, who nearly laughed.

Silence from Vincent's end. Cloud figured he wasn't the type to speak about feelings, but he found out this wasn't the case when a gloved hand reached down and dragged him out by the collar on his sweater.

"Ow! What the hell?!" He shouted, trying to detach the hand, but stopping short in his struggles when he saw Angeal and Sephiroth staring at him."Oh. Hi."

Sephiroth looked downright annoyed, but Angeal just sighed. "Zack, stop dragging Cloud into all your plans."

Said SOLDIER in question peeked his head out. "Hey, he was just as much in on it as I was."

"You were not a part of this conversation." Sephiroth's smooth voice cut through Zack's fake cheerfullness. Vincent had let go of Cloud's sweater, determining he was not a threat. He glanced at his friend who was looking positively pissed, and braced himself for the storm. He'd never seen Zack angry but from what little he knew, the nicer they were, the scarier they could get when riled.

"Like Cloud wasn't a part of figuring out what's going on? Like the kid Tseng sent with us _specifically to help _wasn't a part of our group? Like I'm now not important enough to finally know whats happening to my friends?! It's like you don't trust me or something, after what we've been through!" Zack started out normal pitched but got louder each successive sentence. Angeal looked like he was about to say something, but Zack cut him off.

"No Angeal, shut up. I'm sick of this. Yeah, I'm aware its all personal crap that you're going through, but I've _been here _from the start, and I still don't understand the whole problem with Genesis and Hojo. Hell, half of the stuff I know I only got from my buddy Kunsel!" Zack shouted. Cloud was staring wildly between the ever-elegant General and the now-riled young SOLDIER, not sure who to be more wary of. Zack at the very least was on his side but-

"I am grateful for your help, Zack, but-" the General never got to finish his sentence either and Cloud was shocked his black-haired friend even had the nerve to cut off Sephiroth like that.

"I SAID I GOT IT ALREADY! I don't want to pry into your goddamn private business, I'm just tired of being out of the loop and all of you guys just fucking keeping it that way. Sure, a big important discussion about Jenova and how it relates to how Hojo is going to end the world or whatever, lets just throw Zack out of the room! Man, if you don't want me around, just say so instead of this shit!" Zack took a deep breath.

Cloud was frozen, his eyes wide. He'd never heard Zack swear like that.

"And then you go and shit all over my friend, who is putting everything on the line just _being here, who saved Angeal's life, and _you just shove him away because you're being paranoid! The kid just wants to help out, so do I, and from what I understand, so does Reno! But I'm sorry I didn't realize you don't _trust us. _Man, you guys have to work out your issues, and until you do I'm outta here." Zack turned in a rage and grabbed onto Cloud's arm, taking the trooper with him as he started storming out of the mansion. The first class paused a moment, stopping by Valentine.

"Uh, sorry for interrupting," he said, ducking his head slightly. "Come on Cloud, lets go."

He had no objections but felt Valentine's eyes on his back the entire way out.

* * *

Zack didn't talk until they were all the way out by the chocobos, still with no sign of Reno. There, he sat down on the ground, rubbing his temples. "Wow Cloud, I'm sorry. That wasn't supposed to happen."

Cloud brushed away some pebbles and sat down as well, enjoying the feeling of the crisp air on his bare arms. "It's okay. I was kinda angry too."

"I just, wow. Now I kinda regret saying that. Angeal doesn't need more shit to deal with." Zack ran his hands down his face, making a weird expression.

"I'm uh, sure he'll understand." Cloud was terrible at this type of thing. How did he help someone like Zack, who always had the perfect answer for him whenever he was feeling down? How did he always know exactly what to say? Cloud really wished he had some of that insight right now, because all he had right now was nothing.

"Yeah…hope so. Though what Seph was doing was just uncalled for. Sorry again, Cloud," Zack said sadly.

"You don't have to apologize, I would've done the same thing if I had the guts to." It hurt to see his friend so hurt and unsure. Especially him being a normally unending fountain of levity. Zack smiled, at least a little bit.

"Thanks kid. I guess we're both a bit out of the loop. Man, I just wanna know whats going on. It's Angeal, you know? And Sephiroth. They're my friends and I thought they were still that, but I guess maybe everything changed too much. I don't know. I really don't." The first class rested his face in his gloves.

_What am I supposed to do? I'm not normally the strong one. Do I say everything will be okay? I can't promise anything like that, no one can. _

"You'll figure it out. You're the great, dashing Zack Fair, remember?" And as much as his tone was teasing, Cloud truly did believe that.

Zack coughed suddenly, slowly breaking into laughter.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that funny!"

The SOLDIER shook his head, still laughing. "No, but the way you said it, I-you're great Cloud. Don't change, okay?"

Cloud merely stared at him, unnerved by the strange personality shifts, but he couldn't let his friend down. "Yeah, I won't."

Zack pulled the trooper into another hug, but this seemed more desperate then the last one, like Cloud was the only person left he had to cling to. The world must have been changing too fast, and as he felt Zack's racing pulse through his shirt, he realized the SOLDIER was just as scared and nervous as he was.

_I keep forgetting we are all still human in the end. _

Zack backed off quickly, obviously embarrassed at his small outburst and shifted from his kneeling position. "Ha, sorry again."

Cloud just shook his head. "You're starting to sound like Angeal, with all the apologizing."

"Right…can't have that." The black-haired man clapped his hands together. "Well enough of that, then. Cloud Strife, I believe I owe you an explanation as to what I know about the situation at hand. Sit still, 'cause this'll take a bit, okay? It started after Angeal and I went to Wutai…."


	9. You are the Champion

_I would just like to say thanks again for everyones great words, I save like all the emails that give me reviews so I can read them and get inspired so I really do appreciate it. Also something I forgot to mention last time, I have never actually played Before Crisis and as such I barely know anything about it other then scattered bits and pieces. So I'm sorry if any of the info in this thing contradicts anything but I don't take it into my account of canon simply because I don't know shit about the game, im really sorry._

_Anyway, keep going i promise stuff will happen eventually. For now, enjoy. -Xar_

* * *

**The Calamity stirred in her tomb. The Planet was awakening to Her existence, as was its Weapons. She could sense Them near. She was displeased, unable to sense Their intentions, just knowing ancient powers were waking. **

**The one called Chaos was now, it seemed, housed in a human shell. He had lost power and was not considered a threat, but on the edges of Her conscience, She could sense Them. The Golden People. The meddling Cetra, once again attempting to rob Her of Her birthright. This was their Chosen Weapon? She would see Him dead then, if He would not cooperate. **

**_There. There he is he is there there theretheretherethere My Son! My beautiful Son, come to me my Son, together we can conquer the World and destroy all those who dare stand in my way of becoming God. _**

**She called out to Her Son, but for some reason, He did not answer.**

* * *

Vincent Valentine had been woken from his 20 year long slumber suddenly, and in a very strange way. When he had opened his eyes, he had not expected to see two young children staring at him in horror. Furthermore, he would have dismissed them as mere inhabitants of the village, perhaps acting on a dare, had it not been for the Turk.

And he was a Turk. Just as much as the blond-haired boy, the one who had stirred Chaos from his own sleep, was a trooper of the Shinra army.

_Children._

Vincent Valentine was also not inclined to listen to them had it not been for one of them mentioning that Sephiroth, the only son of his dear Lucrecia, was here in this mansion. A chance encounter, as well as an opportunity, though Vincent thought it was only so he could further reflect on his sins.

Having met the now-General of SOLDIER, he could see so many features of Lucrecia in him-the way his hair parted, his fingers, his eyebrows, his passionate questioning. Each similarity he found sent a pang through his heart, reminding him he had slept too long. He had let Lucrecia's son become an experiment for a most despicable man.

He had then asked Sephiroth what he knew of his origin, and the answer was disturbing. Hojo had not only kept the information hidden, but had told him Jenova, the despicable creature used to 'make' him, was his mother. Nor did he know about his father…

Vincent expected no less from the man who had ruined their lives, but now he did not know what to tell Sephiroth to do. Hojo's motives in sending Sephiroth back to his birthplace couldn't be anything but trouble, and the feeling he was getting from the reactor was unsettling. Chaos stirred again, whispering something too low for Vincent to comprehend, but Lucrecia's son was not to go to the reactor. That was final.

And that is what he had told the General and his friend, who too carried the Calamity's taint. Sephiroth had not been the only one involved in the Jenova project, as he saw now; Vincent wondered how much else he had missed in his 20 year long slumber.

Unfortunately, Vincent was not able to tell him much before they were interrupted by eavesdroppers. What he had to say was for Sephiroth and Sephiroth alone, but while he was not happy with the presence of others, something told him this wasn't a sanctioned meet-up and news of his existence would not travel far.

He had dragged the boy, Cloud, out of hiding-the former Turk had known he was there immediately. It wasn't that he was noisy, since the boy was surprisingly quiet for just a trooper, but rather the sense of the Planet. Vincent had never seen the boy before in his life but Chaos instinctively jumped at him. The creature _knew _him.

Of course, since they were there, Vincent refused to say another word. He did not trust his secrets to anyone except for Lucrecia's son, and the other Jenova-tainted man was pushing it. And yet, after the other SOLDIER'S outburst and prompt departure, he held a strange feeling in his heart.

_Friends…it has been so long since I could call anyone that. Sephiroth…I see. He is not alone. Perhaps I have less of a purpose here._

And now, he was standing on the balcony with Sephiroth and Angeal, the other man looking like he had been stricken by the the younger Zack's words. He did not have the patience to figure out the relationship dynamics between this odd group, but it looked as though no one was willing to talk anymore.

There were two anomalies on Vincent's radar he needed to fix: the Turk boy who had run off at the mere mention of Hojo, and Cloud. Normally, he would have long ago gone back down to the basement and faced his nightmares again, but having met these few, Vincent sensed his time to wake up was long overdue.

* * *

Cloud's eyes were wide the entire time Zack told him the strange and twisted tale of the three top SOLDIERS, Hojo, Hollander, and Jenova. Or at least what he knew, since Zack himself said he didn't know all the details. Belatedly, he wondered if he really was getting into deep. Thinking back on all the strange mutated people and monsters he'd seen, Angeal's instability, the red-coated man he now understood to be Genesis, and Shinra's systematic erasure of all evidence, Cloud finally saw why Zack wanted him to get away while he could.

But it was too late for him now. He'd seen the pain behind the scars of those experiments, he'd seen Zack's fear, everyone's fear as they were being turned into monsters because of a few mad scientists' hubris. And ever since the fight with the safe monster, Cloud felt that he could possibly figure out a way to help them. Even a little trooper like him.

Zack was waiting patiently for his reaction, unsure of how his friend would respond to all this information.

"…you weren't lying," Cloud finally spoke up, stunned. "I knew things were messed up, but…wow."

"Wow is right…man, at least _now _do you see why I didn't want you to come?" Zack asked. "It's not cause of your weird thing with being weak. It's because I didn't want someone _else _to get mixed up with all this shit."

_So you mean, you don't want what's happened to you….to happen to me. Is this a thing friends do?_ Cloud hadn't met many people who would try to protect him like that.

"Yeah, I get it…and I guess, uh…thanks," he said really softly, hoping his friend wouldn't hear. He'd always been terrible at thanking people. "But I think I'm in too deep now. Like I said, I'm not gonna quit, even with…this."

He gestured his hand out to the whole mansion, trying to encompass all they had encountered and done for the past few hours. Zack laughed shortly. "Man kid, sometimes I wonder about your common sense. But you'll be great to have along. Now, its your turn to spill. I told you about my stuff, so you tell me about this big monster you fought!"

The young SOLDIER had such an eager puppy look on his face _again _that Cloud snorted into his hands. "Okay, fine, I'll do that much."

In actuality, he was glad to finally tell someone besides Reno about it, since the entire fight was strange and surreal, and he'd never gotten to apologize for breaking the materia and the sword, both of which Zack had paid for.

He was a great audience too, giving comments at all the right points, and even whistling when Cloud finally admitted to letting out a Firaga spell.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I kinda broke the materia," he said apologetically, holding up his right arm with the bracer. The red Odin summon was still nestled in there safely, and there was no way he was going to touch that thing after his outburst.

Zack however, didn't look angry at all, merely amused and almost…proud? He laughed at patted Cloud on the back with enough force to knock him forward. "It looks like we'll need to get you some sturdier equipment, if you're gonna be destroying it all left and right like that!"

He flushed, burying his face in his hands again. Did Zack really have to put it like that?

"You melted that sword with the materia too, right?" Zack asked, causing Cloud to pull up.

"Yeah, I sort of set it on fire and then threw it," He answered, and the SOLDIER merely looked lost in thought.

"And this is your first time using materia in a battle situation, right?" Zack had that same strange look on his face.

"Yeah." His mother had told him a little about materia, and they got a sort of briefing about it in training but cadets weren't allowed to work with materia much other then basic testing.

"Wow, you must have a natural talent at this, that's amazing!" Zack said, his eyes lighting up. Cloud merely stared at him confused until he continued explaining. "That thing with the sword and the fire? That is like a really high skill-level technique. I'm talking like SOLDIER second and first high."

"What the-"

"It's true Cloud, I'm not even sure how many people I know could pull it off! I might be able to with some effort but…." Zack was practically bursting with admiration (and possibly envy) and the trooper was horrified. He'd just done something that felt natural, why was he getting so worked up over it? And why was he actually impressed enough to admit it?

"Reno was impressed too…" he said quietly, remembering the shocked look on the red-head's face.

"Really? A Turk? Damn, that must've been an impressive fight, wish I was there…" Zack remarked wistfully. Cloud shifted uncomfortably on the ground, and his friend seemed to notice his discomfort. "Did I say something bad?"

"No, it's just feels like I did something wrong with the way everyone's reacting." He held up his hands.

Zack shook his head vigorously. "No, no, that's not it! I'm just really surprised and impressed. I think everyone is. I mean like, ah…you're a…trooper and most people, y'know…."

He was trying really hard not to insult Cloud, who merely smiled away his concern. "It's okay, I know what you mean. Honestly, I'm not sure where it came from either but I kinda like it."

"And you should!" A hand fell on his head again, ruffling his spikes around. "I'm gonna make sure you're a great SOLDIER!"

"You keep saying that…" he grumbled from the attack on his hair.

"Yeah, that's because I forgot to tell you when we get back to Shinra, I'll sponsor you to be a cadet!"

Cloud froze in completely in place. "What?"

"The application period has already closed, but if an enlisted SOLDIER sponsors you, you can still get in," Zack said eagerly. "Man, I keep forgetting to tell you that."

Cloud was completely struck dumb at the fact Zack would go to that length for him. That his dream really was possible for a second time.

"…you okay Cloud?" His friend waved a hand in front of his face and he blinked, startled.

"What? Yes, I am. Just…you can really do that?"

"Course I can, kid! Though it does have his drawbacks…" Zack gave him a wry smile.

"Like?"

"Like…everyone's gonna be focused on you, wondering why a first-class SOLDIER picked you out. And most of the other cadets are gonna be jealous. Basically, you'll be under a lot more scrutiny then normal." Zack shrugged. "If you want me to, anyway."

Could he handle that? His first go around, he'd been bullied relentlessly, but this time he had a couple powerful allies, namely in Reno and Zack. (he was assuming with the first one). This time would be different, anyway. They'd want to see what he was made of and it would be such a perfect opportunity to get back at them….if he had the skill to. But after the fight with the safe monster and everyone's reactions to it, he was feeling more daring then ever before. Besides, Zack said he'd help with training.

"I want to do it." Cloud nodded, starting to smile. It was nerve-wracking, yes, but he really wanted this. He could do it.

"Knew you would. You'll kick their asses." Zack hopped up again so he was standing. "Hey, any questions? You got everything?"

He nodded. Well, it was confusing, but he had a far better grip on the situation then before, for all the good it did him. "You know, we should go find out what's wrong with Reno. He's acting funny."

"Yeah…" Zack looked distant. "You should go handle that, I probably need to apologize to Angeal and Seph."

"It isn't all your fault, you know that."

"Yeah, but I coulda handled it better. So we good here?" Zack asked him. Cloud nodded again, and the SOLDIER first took off towards the mansion, leaving the trooper alone with the chocobos.

* * *

The moment Vincent Valentine had said his name, Reno had known something was off. He had heard that name before; their old leader, Veld, had mentioned it many times, always with a sense of sadness. The man had been an amazing Turk, almost as legendary as Sephiroth-among their group at least-and Veld's partner. However, on an ill-fated mission to Nibelheim, he disappeared and was declared 'retired'.

However, now that he and Cloud had found the man not only perfectly alive but fully functioning in the basement of Shinra manor, Reno knew what was up with Hojo's threat. Before, he had thought it was just Creep-show doing what he did best, and trying to freak the red-head out with cryptic words.

_But he wasn't lying, was he….he really did make a Turk disappear 'cause he got in the way. An' not just any Turk. Vincent Valentine._

If Valentine himself had ended up like that, then what was in store for Reno?

He clenched his hand into a fist and punched the side of the building, deciding against using full-force at the last minute. He didn't need a broken fist on top of everything else. This was so stupid. This was stupid, horrible, dumb…Reno rested his head against the wall underneath the fist. Was it really worth risking his life, his entire future for that dumb, blonde trooper?

_God, I…don't know what to do. _

The more he learned, the less he wanted to work for Hojo and his creepy plans, but honestly, Reno couldn't see a way out. He'd left Tseng a message, but that meant jack-shit with his boss in Midgar surrounded by all the high-class assholes. Sephiroth didn't trust him, and as long as he was a Turk, no one would.

He couldn't tell them. He was a Turk. His first loyalty was to the company. But this was about Cloud. Why was it about Cloud? What was going on?!

Reno gave the wall a resounding kick as well, which did nothing but make his foot hurt and he collapsed on the ground.

"I fucking hate this…why me…?" Reno muttered. What would Tseng or Rude tell him to do? Probably to follow company orders, no need to get into trouble for a trooper. But Tseng had told him to help them out. Divided loyalties didn't come any worse then this.

And there was Cloud to think about. Like, at first, Reno hadn't cared much about him. Then he held back at the fight with the monster in the safe and holy hell, had the kid pulled through. Reno wasn't even sure if he'd be able to pull off what Cloud had, but the trooper with no previous experience had _nailed it. _And Reno was thoroughly impressed. And he was smart and a good partner to boot-as long as Cloud never found out he thought that-so he was wondering if he really wanted to keep going along with this.

But really, would Tseng or anyone be able to stop what happened to Vincent from happening to him? Or would he be just another 'retired Turk'?

A deliberate crunch of a shoe alerted him someone was near him. Reno looked up, suspecting Cloud but nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw who it was. Vincent Valentine, cape and everything, was standing there, staring at him.

He waited, but the other man did not move from his spot. In fact, he barely moved at all, so Reno just sighed, and went back to sitting against the wall. "Whadd'ya want…"

There was no answer for awhile, except,"Why did you run away?"

"Ohhh, man, that's a loaded question." Reno side-glanced Vincent, who did not even blink, merely looked at him with curiosity.

"Look, as much as I'd love to tell you all about my woeful life, I can't. You got it?" He shrugged, even as he kept looking at the taller man. It was a bit like reading Rude really, easier in fact since this man didn't have sunglasses. Harder in the fact he seemed to resemble a statue at times. Vincent was still staring at him, questioning.

"I said I can't say. You're a Turk. You should know that."

"You recognized my name."

Reno looked up at him. _Rather talkative to me, isn't he? _"Yeah. Veld used to talk about you some. 'Course, everyone thought you were dead."

A small breeze whipped up, rustling Reno's red spikes, and he could hear the small flap of Vincent's cape. It was awhile before either of them even so much as moved.

"Hojo has told you to do something for him, has he not?" Vincent's soft voice cut through the air.

Reno froze perfectly in place. _By the gods, how did he…_"You're-"

"I made a similar mistake, and lost something very dear. Do not do the same as me." With that the older Turk turned around, bringing the cape behind him in a dramatic flourish. He began to walk away, but a desperate sentence from Reno drew him back.

"I always thought the Turks were untouchable!" The red-head scrambled up from where he was sitting as Vincent stopped moving.

The taller man turned his head slowly, and-was he smiling? It was very slight, but still there. "I thought so too."

And so he disappeared, leaving Reno in a greater confusion then when he started out.

* * *

Cloud couldn't find Reno no matter where he looked, but the kid was a Turk, so it was to be expected. He still wanted to find him, though. Something had disturbed the Turk enough to run away, and Reno did not startle easily. Cloud was worried, though he didn't know why, especially since the red-head was annoying as hell.

Instead of that Turk, he ran into someone else he was not trying to meet-a blur of red and gold and a sense of the Planet. Vincent Valentine had appeared before him. He stepped back slightly, still not used to the man's own brand of stealth, and looked up at him.

"I…oh. Um, hi."

Valentine didn't say anything, merely kept studying him. Cloud felt a bit guilty for eavesdropping on the man earlier, though he really _had _wanted to know what was going on. So he wasn't totally feeling bad for it. But still…

"Sorry for interrupting you earlier," He said. Valentine did not respond, but instead eventually closed his eyes, which Cloud took as (hopefully) an acceptance of his apology. The sense of the Planet was still coming off strong in him, which made the retired Turk very hard to miss, despite his expertise in stealth.

Cloud nearly opened his mouth to ask him why that is, then immediately thought better. Valentine had mentioned Hojo, and from what he knew, some things were better left unsaid. And yet…the presence inside of him was still there, almost as if calling to him.

**Little Champion of the Planet, I see. Are you afraid?**

Cloud jumped, his eyes widening as he glanced up at Vincent. The man was staring at him curiously, almost surprised. "You can hear Chaos?"

"Who?" Cloud had no idea who Valentine was talking about, but the former Turk did not seem to be listening. In fact…was he muttering under his breath again? "Um, what are you talking about? What exactly happened to you?"

Vincent still took barely any notice of him, but a shadow passed over his face. Cloud had enough sense to know something was very wrong.

"Be careful." The man finally spoke, and with those two words, he jumped up and was gone, leaving the trooper just as confused as when he'd left.

_I never even got to ask him where Reno was, dammit! _This business was really starting to creep him out.

"Yo, what's with the change in outfit?" A familiar drawling voice sounded behind him, and Cloud spun around to see the familiar red-headed _normal_ (that was a good one) Turk standing behind him.

"Reno! Where were you?!" He said loudly, glad to see the idiot was okay.

"Aww, you miss me, Cloudy? It's okay, you can admit it." Reno grinned and Cloud immediately no longer felt worried about him at all. Or felt anything other then the urge to stab him in the gut.

"We're done here." The trooper immediately turned away and starting walking towards the mansion.

"I just asked a simple question, jeez, Cloud. You goin' be SOLDIER or something?" Reno slung an arm around his shoulders.

Cloud removed the arm and answered. "Yes. Now stop touching me."

He put the arm back on. "We can work together then, ya know."

"It's SOLDIER, not the Turks."

"So? We all answer to the same power. You know you want to."

Cloud stopped in place. "Remove your arm, or I will remove it from your body."

Reno pulled a face, but did as he said. "Man, touchy today, are you?"

"All I want to know is why you ran away like that. What happened?"

"Can't tell you, man. It's classified." Reno looked nonchalant, folding his hands behind his head.

"That seems to be a theme around here!" Cloud was ready to explode himself at the red-head, but Reno held up his hands, his face serious for once.

"Look, I can't say anything okay? I really can't but it ain't 'cause I'm out to get you or whatever." Reno suddenly grabbed Cloud by the shoulders and stared him directly in the eyes.

"Stay. Away. From Hojo."

The Turk's tone and look prevented him from saying anything in return. Reno stayed that way for a little bit before turning away, brushing away a few stray hairs from his face, and leaving. Cloud just stood there, shaken. He'd gone from ignored and shoved aside to people taking a vested interested in him in a matter of a hours. Why was everyone obsessed with Hojo, and what did it even have to do with him?

* * *

Cloud followed the two Turks-though he suspected Vincent didn't want to be called that- back into the mansion, hoping to finally get in on all the action. Then again, the safe monster had enough action for him for another few days.

"It's getting late…" Cloud said, staring out one of the dilapidated windows. They had gotten here around midday with the chocobos, and after all the stuff that happened, the day was nearing its end.

"Probably should wrap things up here and head to the reactor tomorrow, then." Reno had waited behind a bit to allow Cloud to catch up to him.

"Where is everyone?" The trooper shuffled over to him, still kind of weirded out by his previous statements. Reno was acting really serious right now as well, which was the unnerving part.

"Uhh, I saw Vincent headin' down the way to the basement. I'm guessin' Sephiroth and the rest are down there seeing what they can find in the library." Reno pointed with his EMR. "Come on."

"What did you mean by earlier?" Cloud asked, walking quickly to keep up with the red-head.

"'xactly what I said, slick. Got it? Sooner we get this done, sooner we can go home." And with that, Reno stopped talking.

_Something must be wrong if it can shut Reno up like that…_And with what Vincent said, Cloud knew he'd have to be on his guard from now on.

* * *

Zack slowly stepped into the library where Angeal and Sephiroth were, trying not to make much noise. He was treading on broken glass here- he was not sure how well his mentor and the General had taken his explosion, which is why he was surprised when Sephiroth looked up and moved away so that he could have a moment with Angeal.

Silently thankful, Zack stepped over to him and began to talk quietly. "Listen Angeal, about before…I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have blown up like that."

"Zack…" Angeal looked regretful. "No. You aren't the one who needs to apologize. I have been caught up with all that has come to light and not paid proper attention to your situation. _I _am sorry, Zack."

The SOLDIER in question blinked. "But I-"

"I know. You were angry. And probably said some things you regret. But it was the truth, right?" His mentor looked straight at him.

"I, well…." He couldn't really deny it. "Yes…"

Angeal gave him a warm smile. "I kind of figured. It's not normally like you to get angry like that, even for the behalf of others. Don't worry, I trust you and Cloud. I'm just…still getting used to having faith put into me."

Zack stared for a bit, since it was unusual for his teacher to be this upfront with his feelings. "I…"

"Reno is another story, but I will trust your judgement on this. Tseng and the Turks will be a valuable ally to have," Angeal continued on. "We need to work together from now on and even Sephiroth agrees with me."

The older first class threw a look back at the General-was he sulking?-who merely nodded. "I will try."

Zack didn't know what Angeal had told Sephiroth to get him to cooperate but he was grateful for it.

"Just…tell us before it gets this bad next time, okay? We have enough to deal with, so we can't be arguing among ourselves." Angeal looked at him and Zack quickly nodded, feeling the relief he hadn't gotten for the past few days wash over him.

_It will be alright. We'll all be alright._

_Trust me._

* * *

Cloud and Reno, as they had thought, found the rest of the group down in the library. Vincent was there-the trooper could sense him off in a corner, even if he couldn't actually see him, which was unnerving. Zack and Angeal were shuffling around in the papers and he heard Sephiroth down the small hallway to an office at the other end, no doubt looking up whatever Valentine had told him.

Cloud himself, along with his Turk sidekick-yes _sidekick-_decided to go check out the creepy looking lab at the other end of the room. The table he tried staying away from-it smelled funny and it had that weird air of disease and chaos around it, like something had died there. _Something probably has. _

Reno on the other hand, was happily skipping through the library, probably glad to finally be a part of the group and more likely, have access to all the horrible forbidden secrets. Cloud himself could feel Vincent's gaze on him at all times so he kept nervously glancing over at the shadowy corner. Eventually, the former Turk emerged and headed over towards Sephiroth, not before casting a final curious glance at him.

The trooper shook himself. What was that man's problem with him? And what was that constant muttering in his mind all about?

**_Little Champion of the Planet….a bad fate for you is in the making. _**

* * *

"Woah, what the hell?" Cloud was startled out of his trance by Reno's loud statement. Zack and Angeal immediately turned towards him while he tried to peer over the young Turk's shoulder at the book he was holding.

"What is it?" he asked.

Reno didn't answer for a minute. "…the hell is the DeepGround Project?"

There were blank stares across the board, and no noise from down in the office, so it was evident no one had heard of it before.

"You got me," Zack muttered, running his hand through his hair. "What does it say?"

"Something, something, initiate the DeepGround project below Midgar….highly classified….keep check on…wait, WHAT?" Reno's eyes bugged out as he found something major. "What's this about Genesis?"

_That _got everyone's attention and in barely a second, the General was there. "What is it?"

The red-head glanced up at everyone. "There ain't that much info in here, yo. I mean half the pages are missin' an' I can barely read the rest. All it did was mention some DeepGround thing and Genesis' name."

"DeepGround…" Sephiroth looked thoughtful. "I have never heard of such a thing."

"Man it must be somethin' super secret if neither you nor I have heard about it. But…it doesn't mention anything else, just something about medical facilities and SOLDIER." Reno tapped the book against his chin.

"It is likely it is an old project, and discontinued before either of you were born, which is why no one has heard of it," Angeal said. "Either way, It doesn't seem relevant to anything now. Let's ignore it."

That seemed to be the general agreement, even if Cloud was still curious. Reno stared at him and shrugged, before putting the book back in its place.

* * *

"He…experimented on me since birth…." From what Vincent could see, Sephiroth was not taking the tale of his origins very well, and he did not know what to tell him. The former Turk did not know the extent of what Hojo had done to either of them, and yet the burning rage had remained.

"He wished to make me a monster."

"Much similar to your friends, yes," Vincent said softly.

Sephiroth slammed his fist down on the table. "I have had that man toy with my life far too long!"

"I am sorry." The cat-like eyes-Jenova's…no, Lucrecia's eyes-flicked up to look at him.

"You…? Why?" His voice practically whispered.

"My sin was that I was unable to stop Hojo. And thus, unable to stop what has plagued your life with sorrow. It is only fitting I should be locked up here as a failed experiment."

Those eyes never moved once. "This is all…Hojo's fault. With my mother, and with you…you are the same as me. How is that your fault?"

Vincent turned his head slightly. Lucrecia's son did not blame him for his mother's death? "I was powerless to stop him, and now I have slept far too long and let him have his way."

"Even if that is true, our enemy is not you. I have no issue with what you think you've done, just with the man who…." Sephiroth gestured his hand to the destroyed office.

"Hojo…" Vincent growled, and the monsters that crawled in his soul clamored as well. They thirsted for blood, as much as their host did. **_What the scientist had wrought, they would deal out ten-fold._**

"…Valentine?" Sephiroth was staring at him with a strange expression, but Vincent brushed him off.

"I am fine…"

* * *

There was a loud crashing sound that brought Zack running. He had been checking in on Sephiroth, who had found a curious book in the office-_thank god Vincent seemed to have calmed him down-_when it sounded as though someone had upended a bookcase in the main area. Instead, he found a rather dead looking monster and Reno with a smug look.

"Okay, what the hell happened here?" He directed the question to Cloud, who had a mixture of murder and annoyance on his face.

"Well, Reno killed a monster with a book." Cloud said, staring at the corpse.

"How did he kill a monster with a _book?_"

"Well...it was a very large book," He said slowly.

"The encyclopedia of every single monster that's ever been catalogued!" Reno crowed, hefting the huge tome in his left hand. "Man, this sucker's heavy."

"Could you two please focus?" Angeal emerged from checking out Vincent's crypt.

"Hey, it was his fault!" Cloud looked wounded, pointing at the red-headed Turk.

"Speak for yourself, shortie. You scared the damn thing up."

"_We are the same height." _

All Sephiroth had to do was clear his throat and both of the teenagers shut up. Zack cast an amused glance at Cloud, who now looked mortified in front of the General.

"What is it, Sephiroth?" He asked, sparing the kid any further pain.

The General glanced back at the hallway. "I have found some very unusual things in this office. Come."

* * *

Cloud followed the group into the tiny cramped office. Reno stayed partly out in the hallway, probably because he didn't want to get squashed into a small room with an ex-Turk and a bunch of large SOLDIERs, as Cloud was. _Please let this get over with quickly…_

"There were many documents pertaining to my…history here in Nibelheim that I have had a chance to look over, but I am concerned with the ones specifically detailing something called the Jenova project." Sephiroth pulled a face as he said those words, and Cloud could only hope that he was okay with this information. He really didn't want to see the General angry, especially at close quarters.

"What do they say?" Angeal asked.

"It explains how they unearthed the creature from ice around 20 years ago, before I was born, and mistook it for an Ancient. As well as using its cells for…..experiments." Sephiroth's fists clenched against the chair, which creaked under his strength. Cloud watched him, worried.

"To create a perfect soldier," Vincent's low voice rang out, "in Hojo's case. And also to prove the Reunion theory."

"The reunion theory…" Zack muttered, testing the word. "Can't say I've heard of that one."

"Something about how Jenova cells will always try to return to each other," Sephiroth said, pulling out another book from one of the drawers. "And there was this. A note was stuck on it, signifying it of special interest."

Cloud and Reno leaned in forward, curious about what the subject of it was.

"There seemed to be a lot of research done on true Ancients, and this book contained stories that-"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Cloud suddenly shouted. Everyone's gaze snapped to him in a millisecond and he immediately regretted his outburst.

"Yes?" The Generals voice was very testy, and he could feel Vincent's gaze boring into him.

"I….where did you find that book?" He pointed a gloved finger at the dusty volume under Sephiroth's hand.

"In this desk drawer, when I searched the office."

"That's mine!" Cloud said, reaching over to it. The General quickly drew his hand away, startled by the trooper's sudden reaction.

"Strife, it is a children's book, there are many copies like it-"

"No, it's _mine." _He flipped the book open to the first page, and sure enough, his name was printed on the inside cover in tiny letters. "See?"

There were various noises of shock from everyone in the room, and even Vincent's eyes widened. Cloud flipped through a few pages, but other then some strange writing in the margins, it seemed exactly the same as it was years ago.

"How…" Sephiroth whispered.

"I don't know. I thought I lost this book when I was like eight. I read from it almost every night." He ran his fingers down the familiar words. "My dad gave it to me…"

"Your dad?" Zack was curious.

"Yeah. He's dead. But why would my book be here?"

"I would very much like to know that as well, Strife," Sephiroth said. "It can't be Hojo's doing, the handwriting in that book is different from the other papers, but it remarked something about its relations to the Ancients. I highly doubt Shinra scientists would study fairy tales for research."

Cloud didn't know what to tell them but what he did know was that they found his old storybook in a hidden room at an abandoned Shinra building, and nothing about that sounded good. He looked around, and everyone's faces were troubled. "I'm-I'm sorry, I wish I could explain."

"I might be able to." A voice rang behind him, and Cloud turned around to see Reno leaning against the doorframe. "I have something very, very interesting to tell you."


	10. Activate!

**I apologize for this being slightly later and that the events in nibelheim are taking so long. I was not expecting it to be this lengthy but here I am.**

**And as an answer to a couple people you can point out any grammar errors you find, I read over it once and get a friend to as well, but I miss shit sometimes. And as always feedback is appreciated.**

**Enjoy the cliffhangers~ Xar**

* * *

A single black feather fell from the sky.

The reactor did seem abandoned, had it not been for the chocobo tracks passing their way to town. A faint whispering came from inside, but he ignored it for now. His prey was not there.

Sephiroth himself had come to Nibelheim, on a mission to investigate the oddities of the looming, dark structure, and that was whom he sought. He had followed Angeal's trail-both of his old friends, converged in the same place. What were they planning? Why was he always the one left out?

Angeal had brought his puppy and a strange blond-haired boy with him. His time was running out-for both of them, really-and yet he kept up this escapade that he was still human. That wings did not mean monster.

They were not his goal. Jenova was. Hollander was. And yet…a faint warmth in his heart had led him to be curious about old bonds broken. _Here the three friends meet again, but who shall be the hero?_

The black feather gently rested against the ground as the mysterious man took flight.

* * *

"Okay, spill it, Reno. What do you know about Cloud?" Zack was getting defensive at the red-head and certainly not helping the situation. Cloud however, didn't stop him, since not only had Reno been acting weird, but he'd just found one of his missing books in Hojo's former lab.

"Chill, chill. Your mom ever teach you that askin' rudely gets you nowhere?" The Turk held his hands up.

"Then speak up, Turk." Angeal's voice was as frosty as Sephiroth's glare.

"Like I said, ask-"

"We do not have time for politeness. You will speak now, or hold your tongue," Sephiroth said, his tone laced with a threat.

"Look, I'm riskin' my life here!" Reno suddenly shouted, and all semblance of his easy-going attitude completely disappeared. No longer was he just a Turk, but a teenager who had seen and heard too much. That shocked everyone-even the General-into silence.

Cloud wanted to tread carefully here, as desperately curious as he was. Something had disturbed his new companion badly. "What is it, Reno…"

The red-head let out a short laugh. "Well, if I end up like Vincent, I'm comin' back to haunt all you guys." He clapped his hands together. "'kay, so you know how Tseng sent me on this mission to give you guys a hand, as much as you hate it?"

Various nods all around and a silent stare from Sephiroth.

"Well, he ain't the only one who told me to do somethin' while I was here. Professor Creep-show-or I should say Hojo-also decided to put in his two cents," Reno said, putting his hands back in his pockets.

The wooden beams of the chair broke under Sephiroth's grip, and Reno suddenly backed up. The other two SOLDIERS were far more vocal.

"What do you mean, Hojo?!" Zack said loudly, staring at the Turk. The red-head had his hands raised defensively, like he was afraid everyone in the room was going to jump him.

"Calm down and let him speak." Vincent's soft voice cut quickly silenced the protests, and everyone turned to him in surprise. It was the first time he had spoken to anyone who wasn't Sephiroth while they were in the library.

"Tell me what he wanted, Turk…" Sephiroth growled, the chair again creaking dangerously. Cloud merely stood his ground between Reno and the agitated SOLDIERS, which now seemed a very dangerous place to be, but at least the mysterious Vincent was on his side.

"Holy shit, guys, an' you wonder why I didn't wanna say anything…"Reno really did looked freaked out by the General and Cloud actually felt sorry for him, even if it was overrode by dying curiosity.

The Turk took a deep breath. "Hojo was off rantin' about how nothing was going his way, and because of that he needed my help. Somehow he knew the two of you-" he pointed at Zack and Angeal-"were gonna be here, and sent me along for a 'special' mission."

There was a horrible, deadly silence in the room, and Cloud swallowed slowly.

"That special mission was not to keep an eye on the General, but rather to bring a certain someone back to Shinra at all costs," Reno said slowly, avoiding all eye contact.

Cloud could hear Sephiroth muttering something under his breath, and backed up slightly, accidentally running into Vincent, who didn't seem to notice. Zack and Angeal however, both had strained looks on their faces, even if the younger SOLDIER was the more expressive of the two.

"Reno….who did he want you to bring back…" Zack said slowly, as if afraid of the answer.

"Was it me?" Angeal asked, looking around at everyone. The others seemed to agree with that assumption, but Reno shook his head wildly, his eyes wide.

"No, I thought you or Sephiroth too, but he shot me down. He didn't care about any of you!" The red-head's fingers started playing with his EMR.

"Then who…." Cloud asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Reno didn't answer, but merely let out a long breath, his eyes sliding over to the trooper. As soon as Reno's gaze met his, Cloud's blood ran cold. _I was right…._

"He wants me," the trooper said, and the Turk just nodded. Cloud's hands dropped to his side, and he started breathing heavier, attempting to stay the panic that was rising from the pit of his stomach.

"_Are you serious?!" _The trooper turned to see Zack, who had a horrified expression. "Cloud? Are you fucking serious?!"

"You think I'd make up shit like this?" Reno said. "I have no idea why the hell he wants the kid but that's what he told me!"

Cloud was almost afraid to look even farther and see what the General's reaction was, but he did it anyway. Sephiroth was staring straight at him and he fought down the urge to cut and run. The cold eyes, boring directly into his soul….the hairs raised on the back of his neck as he tried keeping his composure.

"Why…"Sephiroth muttered. "Why you…"

The chair could not take any more abuse and finally collapsed, causing Cloud to jump backwards and knock into the wall. _So that's why he was freaking out…the only person who could shut up a Turk was Hojo._

Zack himself looked positively murderous. "And you were just going to do it, Reno?"

He started walking towards the Turk, hand on his sword, but the trooper quickly raised his hands, hoping to stop him. However, before he even got close, Angeal's hand rested on Zack's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Zack, stop this. He is not the enemy," The older man said. "He is risking his very life to tell us."

"You got that right, yo! Hell, he told me if I ever did, well, I'd end up like Vincent." Reno cast a significant look to the red-cloaked man, who had been watching the whole exchange impassively.

"So THAT'S why you freaked and ran away…" Cloud said. It all made sense now, since the Turk had only started panicking _after _Vincent had mentioned the name Hojo.

"I thought he was lyin' when he said he could disappear a Turk. But if he could do it to the great Vincent Valentine, then, well, I'm screwed." The red-head grinned, but Cloud could see the tips of his fingers shaking.

Luckily, that managed to calm Zack down, who was still looking murderous, but at least not at Reno. Sephiroth, however, was another story. He was still staring at Cloud, but saying nothing, and it bothered him to no end.

"Do you…think it's some connection to my book being here?" Cloud slowly asked, trying to break the tension. It didn't really work, but at least Angeal answered him.

"I don't know, but it leads to the conclusion you are now involved whether you wanted to be or not." The larger man sighed. "I am sorry, Cloud."

This time he didn't answer, because he didn't know how.

"I left a message with Tseng so he's probably figurin' out what he can," Reno said. "I can't do much though, an' you know that. I ain't gonna end up as a lab rat for that creep."

Cloud glanced sideways at him, several odd feelings coursing through him. Had the Turk ever really wanted to sell him out? Despite his annoying personality, he really didn't seem that bad of a guy, and Tseng had trusted him enough. And there was the fact that Reno had gone out of his way to try and make friends with him-except did he do that to complete his mission?

_"Look, I can't say anything okay? I really can't but it ain't 'cause I'm out to get you or whatever." _

He'd been completely serious when he said that. The look the red-head was giving him now told him the same thing.

Cloud would have to trust him.

_Besides, if he tried anything, I'm fairly certain Zack would attempt to behead him. _

"Cloud, you okay?" Zack was looking at him in concern, and he just nodded, trying to get him to not worry. He could deal with this.

"I'm-I'm fine…" he said, casting another glance at the General. Sephiroth had not moved his gaze away from the trooper, but rather his stare had grown more intense. Had he done something to upset him?

"Hojo…he wants to use you next…" Sephiroth continued to mutter, even if everyone in the room heard him.

_Next? For what?_

He did not want the answer to that question. Suddenly, Sephiroth straightened up, looming over the room. "He will not have his way again, Strife."

Cloud nearly choked on his next breath as the General said that. Was he promising to _protect _him? THE General, the man he looked up to his whole life. Sephiroth was on his side?

"Needless to say…I don't think we can do anything about it now. It's getting late, and we should wrap things up before heading to the reactor tomorrow," Angeal said, attempting to calm the nerves of the crowd.

Cloud was grateful for this, because the constant fighting was getting to him and sleep sounded nice, as long as it was as far away from Nibelheim as he could get.

"Yeah…come on guys, lets get back up to the mansion proper," Zack answered, herding Reno and Cloud in front of him. None of them spoke any further, but they all knew the same thing: returning to Shinra now might not be the best thing to do.

* * *

Sephiroth and Reno were to return to the inn in Nibelheim, being the only ones officially here on the mission. The rest of them-including Vincent, Cloud assumed, he had not seen the man since they left the library-would stay around in the Shinra manor, where no one would find them.

"Everything is covered in dust and I'm gonna be sneezing all night!" Zack complained as they searched for a good place to stay.

"You could always sleep outside with the chocobos," Angeal said with a light smile, earning him a scowl.

"No thanks, I'd rather stay in that creepy lab…" the younger SOLDIER continued to grumble under his breath, and Cloud would've smiled at the spectacle had he not been troubled by all that Reno had said. The book was still clutched in his hand, having refused to let it go since it was a memento of his late father and possibly a clue to how he was related to this whole mess.

He chose to stay in the room right by the secret passage, if only for the convenience and he could tell if someone was heading down there. Zack practically forced Angeal to go to bed, and then turned suddenly on Cloud.

"You can't go back to Shinra," he said, standing squarely in front of the trooper.

"Why not? You just said you'd sponsor-"

"To hell with that, Cloud! If Hojo's after you, you can't go back!" Zack looked desperate, even reaching out to hold him in place as he tried to leave. "If you go back, something terrible might happen to you! Did you not hear what I had to say?"

Cloud shook his head. He did, but it wasn't that simple. "Zack, I don't want to-"

"I don't want to lose you too!"

That one shocked him into silence.

"Everyone…everyone's been involved in this case, and everyone's been affected by it and Angeal, he just….he just left me behind! And Sephiroth, he's hurting and he doesn't trust anyone. Genesis is another story and the Turks…Tseng can't do anything. Cissnei can't do anything. Don't you get it? They are all my friends and they keep leaving, and have this shit happen to them, and I don't want you to be like that too!" Zack's voice got more frantic as he went on until he was nearly running out of breath. "Please Cloud, you're a great kid. You can't suffer like them."

He couldn't say anything to that. How could he? He had never seen Zack this desperate and this…scared, not even after he had blown up at Angeal and Sephiroth for ignoring him. Even then it had been more out of frustration than anything else.

_What can I say to that?_

"Zack…." He didn't and just stood there, desperately trying not to become visibly upset. He could hear Zack's breathing again, and feel the SOLDIER's racing pulse against his shoulder. This was the man he'd looked up to for being so strong and sure of himself and yet here they were, Zack again holding onto Cloud as if he were a last lifeline.

He was looking at the floor, so Cloud couldn't see his face, but his friend began to speak in a low voice. "I want to protect them. Please tell me I'll be able to, Cloud…"

"I…don't think I can. But you're really…strong. If anyone can do it, you can." Cloud spoke the truth, once again, and this time he wasn't teasing. "I made this promise before, but I can do it again. I promise you, I'll become stronger. I'll join SOLDIER, with your help and I'll become stronger, so you don't have to be alone."

_Where the hell was this stuff coming from, I sound like a melodrama…_

He briefly wondered if Tifa and his mom would be alright with him promising someone else as well. Cloud hadn't forgotten, not for one second why he needed to be so strong, but it seemed the only way to get Zack to understand that he still had friends. It was only fitting to promise that to the man who had given him a second chance to redeem himself.

_I'm not gonna be that little kid any longer, I told myself that._

Deep down his promise wasn't just to his friend, but to himself as well. To all of them.

_Still, I hope she'll forgive me…_

The grip on his shoulders tightened for a second before letting go, and Zack drew himself up, looking none worse for the wear, though Cloud thought he spotted a mysterious sheen in his eyes. "I'll…hold you to that. Don't let me down, okay?"

Cloud nodded, trying his best to smile to get his friend to in return. It sort of worked. "I won't. You can count on me."

"There's…really nothing I can say to make you stay, is there?" Zack asked, again running his fingers through his hair.

"You've tried like three times before, why would this time be any different?" It was a weak joke but Zack still laughed.

"Just…stay safe, okay? For everyone?"

"Got it." He nodded again, and this time Zack didn't do anything but wave at him and head off to wherever he was sleeping. Slightly surprised, but also sort of pleased, that Zack was just letting him go back this easily, he laid down on the dusty bed and just then registering how tired he was, immediately went to sleep.

* * *

The night passed calmly for everyone except Vincent Valentine. Though he had slept for these past twenty years locked in a coffin, he had trouble going back to that state now that he was fully awakened. The beasts that resided inside of him added their whispers to his consciousness, further driving him from the darkness whence he came.

Or…so it was described to him. His boots lit down silently on the wooden floor as he made his way through the house. Everyone else was asleep, so it mattered little how stealthy he was being, but by now, it was instinct.

Though they had not realized he was there, Vincent had heard every word of the conversation between the blonde boy and his friend, Zack, having not wished to leave the manor. Again, it had left a strange feeling in his heart. Perhaps it was because he had not been around humans for so long that he'd forgotten what companionship felt like.

_No…long before that…I gave up my humanity when I became a Turk._

He stopped discreetly in the room leading down to the basement, sensing the boy, Cloud to be there. Turning his head slightly, Vincent noticed he had fallen half on the bed and was sleeping soundly. If what the others said had been true, this boy defeated the Lost Number that guarded his cage by himself.

A very impressive feat for a trooper.

Chaos began to whisper again as he drew closer to the sleeping figure, causing him to stop in his tracks.

_What is it? _He asked silently, demanding answers of the creature, but Chaos just faded away, refusing to speak.

**You will see, foolish human. If you dare go to the reactor.**

What was it about this boy? Vincent had been absolutely sure earlier Cloud had heard Chaos speak to him without any prompting, and now he had learned Hojo had been after him from the start. If he were up to his old tricks again…

Vincent did not count himself among the most compassionate of people, but it disturbed him to no end that this boy here might end up like him, tied to a table, cut open and twisted, all for the sake of science. No one deserved that fate.

He hesitated for just a moment, unsure of what to do, then gently shifted Cloud until he was all the way on the bed and pulled the cover over him, removing the sword so it wouldn't get in his way. Briefly, Vincent cast an eye on the book the boy clutched in his hands, resolving to later pry the information away from it.

_Perhaps, Lucrecia, my debt is to save these new SOLDIERs from the war..._

For now, he had work to do.

* * *

Cloud wished he had dreamed of the girl in the flowers that night, but she only showed up briefly. The rest of the night he fell in and out of sleep, dreaming he was being chased by the safe monster who was suddenly wearing a pair of glasses. When morning came he jolted upwards, throwing off his covers.

He stared in confusion, not having remembered even making it fully onto the bed, much less under a blanket. His sword was lying out on a table as well, Cloud not having put it there. _Had Zack….he must have after I fell asleep_.

Yawning, he pulled himself out of bed and strapped the sword in its harness again, feeling slightly empty without the other one. For a minute he was confused about having the SOLDIER uniform, until he remembered the events of yesterday. It all seemed like a lifetime ago to him; the monster, finding the Turk in the basement, his storybook…

Cloud suddenly turned back and snatched it up, afraid to let the book out of his sight as if it would grow legs and wander off, denying him answers. This was his only link to this place and possibly why Hojo would be interested in a nobody like him. Quietly walking out into the main area, he looked to see if anyone was awake. Not wanting to disturb Angeal or Zack, he snuck outside the mansion, looking possibly for something to eat.

He breathed deeply, feeling the cool air brush against his skin, calming him. He'd been tossing and turning all night, afraid of the nightmares Hojo created in his mind. He didn't know what sort of plan the madman had for him, but Cloud had sworn to not let him get close. Even if becoming SOLDIER meant…well being under his thumb.

Rubbing his eyes, he took off after the chocobos, who while wandering, immediately returned to the little trooper when he called. _That's some great skill to have, chocobo whispering…_

They all seemed fine, even Zack, though something out in the mountains seemed to have spooked them. Cloud could only hope it was some normal monster.

_Normal. What has the world come to, me wishing for something normal to attack us…_

* * *

"You sure this is a really good idea?" Zack asked his mentor as they trekked up the mountain. Angeal didn't answer for a moment, thinking it over.

"Any other way would be more difficult. You know how Sephiroth gets." He looked pointedly at the younger SOLDIER.

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Zack shook his head. "Still feel kinda bad for Cloud getting stuck there with him."

"He's a big kid. He can handle himself, yo," Reno said, walking up behind them.

It had originally been Angeal's idea, at least after Vincent explicitly told Sephiroth to stay away from the reactor. Knowing his friend would not be happy with the idea of someone ordering him around, he had woken Zack early to follow the former Turk up to the structure himself, alone. What he had not counted on was Reno guessing his plan and showing up out of the blue.

The red-head assured him that everything had been taken care of with the two regulars assigned to the mission, but Angeal didn't quite trust his judgement. There was little they could do about it now, though, except finish this mission quickly.

"Y'know, there was this girl back in town who kept askin' me if I'd seen a blonde-haired SOLDIER around. You think she coulda been talkin' about Cloud?" The Turk kept rambling and Angeal ignored him.

"Well Cloud did say he promised someone he'd return as a SOLDIER, so it makes sense." Luckily, Zack humored him instead.

"Ahh, a childhood sweetheart, I see." Reno smile grew wolfish, no doubt planning on teasing the trooper about it when he got back.

"Reno, don't be mean. The kid was really upset about it. He didn't want to even go back to Nibelheim."

"Still-"

"_No, _Reno." Zack sighed in exasperation, and Angeal couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Now you know how I feel when I'm trying to convince you to not do something, Zack," he said, earning him one of his student's famous puppy looks.

"I am nothing like him!"

"Says you." Angeal kept smiling and walked on. He could see up front of them the shadow of Vincent Valentine traveling soundlessly across the ground, something not even Sephiroth could hope to match.

Hearing Zack's characteristic protests-and a cutting remark from Reno-could only cheer him up a little as he stared up at the looming tower. A sense of wrongness perverted the reactor and its rather pristine surroundings. The metal twisted like a scar on the ground, and were it not for his friend's sake, Angeal would refuse to continue further.

The aching in his body and head grew worse, and he almost had to stop a couple times. The concerned eyes of his student were more than enough to spur him forwards but it could not wipe the whispering of a soft voice from his mind.

"There is something very wrong with this place…" he said.

"She lies inside there." Vincent said suddenly, drawing out his handgun. "The Calamity awaits."

Everyone was silent and unmoving as the red-cloaked man loaded his weapon, preparing himself for what was inside.

* * *

Cloud looked curiously at the ground where his chocobo had been scratching at. A few black feathers were scattered on the ground, and he almost mistook them for Zack's, but they were much too small. He stooped down and picked a couple of them up, running his fingers down the bristles. For one, they were too skinny and lightweight to be chocobo feathers, and the birds didn't normally shed unless they were molting, and it certainly wasn't that season.

_Curious…_He kept a few of them in his hand as he made his way back to the front. Luckily, there had been something for him to eat-Zack had always made sure of that-and a puddle of melted water to try and wash his face and hair out of any excess mud, so he was feeling much better.

That feeling faded when he heard the click of a gun being pointed at him. Cloud slowly held his hands up, practically jumping out of his skin.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" A voice came from behind him, but he didn't recognize it. This one sounded like it meant business, unlike Reno's trick and he nervously debated his chances of talking his way out of this.

Cloud didn't answer but slowly turned around, surprised to see another Shinra trooper with a green scarf, the rifle aimed straight at his chest. _This must be one of those regulars assigned to the mission, crap!_

"I um-I can explain! I'm not the enemy here!" Cloud protested, his hands still held up.

"Then why are you wearing a First's uniform? I don't recognize you from this mission," The trooper said, not budging an inch.

_Zack I TOLD you it would get me in trouble!_

"I'm not a SOLDIER first, I'm a trooper like you, my uniform was just ruined so I had to change. Sephiroth-the General knows I'm here!" Cloud didn't know what to say, if the others had established a cover story for them right now, but he was more concerned with not becoming a pincushion. At least Angeal wasn't here, that would ruin everything…

"A trooper? Name and squad number." The man ordered. He couldn't see any of his face past the helmet so Cloud didn't know if he was buying his story or not.

"Cloud Strife, sir, I'm with Squad 7. I was sent on the Modeoheim mission with SOLDIER First Zack Fair, and after getting separated, made our way here to Nibelheim." He held in his breath, hoping that was vague enough to satisfy him.

The gun lowered slightly, but did not completely so Cloud still held his hands up.

"Then what are you doing around here?" The trooper demanded. He opened his mouth to answer, but instead stepped back in shock when the General, impressive as ever, appeared behind the infantryman.

"Strife? What is going on?" Sephiroth asked, giving a significant look to Cloud's aggressor. The trooper jumped, just realizing he was there, the gun still trained on Cloud.

_Never have I been so glad to see him…_" Uh, sir, he thinks I'm a threat."

"…Stand down. Strife is with us." The General held up a hand and the trooper immediately backed away, looking almost apologetic. After a few quiet words to the trooper, who then stood by the gate, Sephiroth walked quickly over to Cloud, whose heartbeat got faster every step he took towards the boy.

"Where are the others?" The General demanded.

"I um-well I was about to look too…" Cloud tripped over his own tongue in his haste to answer him.

"Reno was gone before I woke up, and I suspect we will find the same for the others…" Something in Sephiroth's tone indicated he was upset, and Cloud unconsciously took a step backwards.

"I-maybe. I haven't seen them yet."

Sephiroth cast a long glance at him, causing his heart rate to go up again, before swiftly turning to the building, his hair brushing against Cloud as he did so. "We will see if you are right."

Cloud could only follow him into the mansion, wondering what had ticked him off.

* * *

As it turned out, Cloud was right. They had checked their room only to find Zack and Angeal were long gone, with a hastily scribbled note in their place. Vincent, it seemed, had vanished as well, for Cloud could no longer sense the man anywhere on the premises.

"What does it say?" The General was pacing around, his voice tightly wound up.

Cloud took a deep breath and read out loud. " 'To Cloud and Seph. Sorry we're just leaving you here in the mansion together, but something really wrong is in that reactor, and Vincent says neither of you should come, or something bad will happen to you. So the three of us are going to check out whatever is in there are report back to you. Stay put and don't burn anything down. Love, Zack.' "

Neither of them made a single noise but Cloud could feel Sephiroth's radiating annoyance from across the room.

"I guess…they did leave without us," he said slowly, testing the waters.

"So it would seem…" The General did not seem pleased, and that was putting it nicely.

Cloud didn't know if he should speak, since it was hard to not start stammering, but he was the only one around. The other trooper had elected to stay by the gate, obviously believing the ghost stories about the place.

"Well, do you, uh, really want to do what Hojo wants you to, sir?" He asked. Sephiroth looked like he hated the man, and Hojo _had_ been the one to order him to the reactor.

"….I suppose not. However, I do not like being left out of discussions," The General said, gracefully sitting down on the bed.

"Yeah, it's kind of annoying, isn't it?" Cloud remarked, glaring at him, reminded of all the times Sephiroth himself had kicked him out. The silver-haired man looked up at him in actual surprise, and Cloud suddenly realized what he did.

"Ahh! I'm sorry, sir, it just sort of slipped out-" He covered his mouth with his hands before he could damn himself further, but Sephiroth was still looking at him. He could feel the heat rising on his face and Cloud wanted to melt into a yellow puddle on the floor and disappear.

"I suppose it is." There was a hint of actual amusement to the General's voice, and Cloud nearly bit his own tongue. Was he actually finding his remark _funny? _

He didn't say anything and just sighed, slouching back on the nightstand. The man he admired so much and Cloud just talked back to him.

Right now, however, the General had a conflicted expression on his face, which was curious. "I suppose I should explain my actions. Zack and Angeal are friends of mine and I was not expecting others to join us. I did not know your motivations or purpose."

"Y-you care about your friends, don't you? You wanted to protect them," Cloud said, the words just slipping out of his nervous lips. _Having an actual conversation with this man…._

Sephiroth looked up at him in surprise again, or at least, his version of surprise. Cloud held his hands up, trying to explain himself. "Well, you didn't trust us because we might take your friends away or uh…something. But I promise you I'm not. I can't speak for Reno, but he's not a bad person either."

His cat-like eyes flicked away, seeming to contemplate what the blond trooper just said.

"You don't have to admit it or anything." Okay, he really needed to shut up before the General used him for target practice.

Except Sephiroth was actually smiling slightly. "You know, you remind me of Genesis."

"I-what?" Cloud stared at the taller man. He didn't know anything about Sephiroth's friend other then him being a royal pain in the ass, but…

"Yes. Except…"

"Except?"

"Except nicer," Sephiroth said, his lips twitching with his own private joke.

_I'm-I'm not really sure how to react to that, _Cloud thought. Reminding the General of his old friend might be a good thing, but Genesis did not seem a very good role model. At the very least, Sephiroth looked like he was calming down. To be honest, he was rather annoyed with Zack and Angeal that they left _him _behind as well _ALONE WITH THE GENERAL OF SOLDIER, _but actually talking to the man and not seeing him behind a wall was a treat he was never expecting.

They both were quiet for a moment, so Cloud pulled out the storybook he found to make it less awkward. "I'm, uh, sure Zack and Angeal are just concerned for you. And Vincent. I think."

"Hmm." Sephiroth's slender fingers toyed with the hilt of his sword. "It's true I place stock in that Turk's words-I do not wish to give any more to that man."

Cloud's grip tightened on the books binding as his breath quickened. They were getting into dangerous territory here. "I'm sorry, I don't know why he's doing this."

"No need to apologize Strife, someone like you would not be important enough to know such things," He commented.

"Gee, thanks…" Cloud said.

"Do you want to be important to him?"

"Hell no! I don't want to end up like y-" Cloud gestured wildly, realizing what he was about to say, and then just gave up. "I'm just going to stop talking now."

The General did not seem too outwardly bothered. "I do not want you to end up like me either."

This time Cloud nearly dropped the book. _Is he-he's concerned for me? LIke before? _Not knowing what to say, the trooper just stayed quiet, hoping this awkward feeling would only good thing was that Sephiroth seemed to be just as bad at communication as he was.

_I wonder what they are doing at the reactor…._

* * *

After a few moments of tinkering, Vincent blew the control switch off the door, permanently opening it.

"You would think if we're coming here on a mission, they'd give us a way to open the thing," Zack grumbled. The retired Turk said nothing but instead, turned to examine the interior of the reactor.

"I'm guessin' the General has the key or somethin'." Reno was hanging back by the metal staircase, seemingly content to not go any further.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to Vincent's enhanced eyes so he gestured slightly with his metal claw at the rest of the group. The other SOLDIER-Angeal-was not looking good. Signs of degrading aside, he seemed to be using his student for balance. Perhaps bringing the other Jenova-tainted SOLDIER was not a good idea, but there was little he could do about it for now.

The deep, barren voice beckoned him into the reactor, and Vincent stepped forward, making no noise. The inside looked pretty standard, with pods lining either side of the metal staircase leading to the core of the reactor. They were empty, as Vincent could sense nothing living inside them-rather, the presence was much deeper.

"Is feeling sick a normal reaction?" Zack came up behind the former Turk. He nodded slightly, but Angeal had already answered the question.

"Reactors often make…SOLDIERS injected with mako feel sick. Something to do with…the Planet, I believe." The large man let out a heavy breath, grasping the handrail for support.

_Is he too, affected by Her?_

"Angeal. Angeal, are you okay?!" Zack was at his side within seconds.

"I'm…something is affecting me." Angeal looked up, and Vincent spotted a flickering in his eyes. The degradation seemed to be getting worse as well; the grey was spreading.

"You should not go any further," Vincent said, still staring at the door leading to the core. "She lies in wait there, and you will only be a liability."

"She…?" Both SOLDIERs were looking at him, questioning.

"Jenova. The Calamity from the sky," He snarled, and at that name, Chaos jumped awake inside of him. It was starting to get hard to control him, despite the glowing stone embedded in his chest that seemed to suppress the creature.

"The thing that was used to create Sephiroth?" Zack said wildly. "That…thing is in there?!"

Vincent merely stared at him, unwilling to repeat himself.

"I can hear something…but if I go further, I don't think I will be of any use. I'll wait…"Angeal leaned heavily against the guardrail, gesturing Zack to travel further with Vincent. "Reno is outside. We can handle things…here."

It was clear he was in pain-it twisted through his face and his eyes, and Vincent knew the man did not have much time to live, with Jenova ravaging his body. _Perhaps with the creature gone, we can end this curse, Lucrecia…._

Unfortunately, from his decades-long nap, he did not have much ammo left for his gun. He would have to make this quick, or rely on **_their _**aid.

"We don't have much time," Vincent said, walking towards the door. "Are you coming?"

Zack did not look happy with these arrangements, but he would have to make do. Securing his grip on his sword, he joined Vincent by the door. "Let's go kill a thing."

* * *

The green light of the planet pulsed below, resonating with the stone buried inside him, and consequently, Chaos. The more they drew on, the worse the whispering got, and Vincent started getting outwardly affected.

"Are…you okay too?" Zack asked hesitantly, but Vincent held out a claw. He was not weakening like the other man. No, he was getting angrier….stronger.

_Becoming a monster. _

His eyes blazed a brighter red than they had ever been and Vincent smiled. "I am coming…"

He suddenly took off down the catwalk, his metal shoes clinking slightly on the surface. Ignoring Zack's shouts and attempts to keep up, he leapt at the door, bringing it down with a few inhuman melee attacks.

There she was. In the room, at the very end, was Jenova, or so the banner above Her head proclaimed. He raised Cerberus, pointed it directly at her, as she opened her eyes and let out a screech.

**_My son, my son where is my Son you are not my Son why are you HERE, SQUIRE OF OMEGA?_**

Zack again was shouting something, but Vincent could no longer hear anything other then Jenova's sickening voice, and his own demons. All of them rose at once, scraping and clamoring to be let out, but Chaos rose to the surface. The last thing he heard was an inhuman scream.

* * *

It was a very odd thing, talking to Strife on friendly terms. For one, the trooper had been very skittish of him from the start, though Sephiroth attributed that to the fact he did not trust the boy. However, even after he made sure to express that was no longer his intention, Cloud was still nervous, and Sephiroth could not understand why.

People had never been his strong point, something Angeal and Genesis had always taken great pains to tease him about. Strange then, that Strife was now reminding him of his old friend. Sephiroth watched him closely, and every time his gaze lingered on the boy for longer then a second, Cloud would flinch nervously and glance up at him, nearly dropping the book he was attempting to read. It seemed familiar somehow, and yet…

_Ah. I remember…_Many of his fans acted the same way, though in a far less cramped environment. Could Cloud actually hold an admiration for him? Or as most would call it, hero-worship him? It would certainly explain many things.

Despite him being annoyed by Angeal and Zack's sudden disappearance and the shock of finding out about his own personal history, he found himself inordinately fascinated by the once-ordinary blonde. Now that Sephiroth knew that Hojo was after the trooper-a thought that left a terrible taste in his mouth-he desperately needed to figure out why. Hojo would not spend his time on something useless, so why him? Why would this child need to get involved?

"What is in that book?" He asked. The first step, Cloud's connection to the strange volume he'd found in the mansion's hidden office. Per usual, Cloud looked up suddenly like a frightened chocobo and Sephiroth suppressed a flash of amusement.

"I…Well, like I said before, it's basically a bunch of children's stories and fairy tales." The boy's fingers ran down the cover as he got lost in thought, perhaps remembering his past. Sephiroth almost wanted to ask, having never had a family or a childhood to speak of, but it was not his place.

"I see…" Then why was it there?

Cloud it seemed, had been pondering the same thing. "I don't recognize the writing in the margins, but it might be my dad's. It keeps saying stuff about the Cetra, or…Ancients, I guess they are called."

"What do fairy tales have to do with the Cetra?" Sephiroth asked.

The trooper sighed. "I don't know…my dad was always fascinated with them and their stories, maybe a bit too much. And my mom would read me these stories almost every night…"

Sephiroth said nothing, content to let the boy keep talking, since he seemed to be growing more comfortable.

"He always said that the Cetra were close to the Planet and thats how they…knew things. Sometimes things that would happen, or stuff about the Planet no one else would know," Cloud said. "Like it resonated with them or something. And according to this book, the stories had something to do with that. Like a recording of their knowledge. It's weird."

Cloud's left hand shifted to rub at his right arm unconsciously, and Sephiroth's keen eyes spotted a small red materia stone. _What exactly…_

"Then would it be possib-" The General was cut off by the book suddenly dropping out of the troopers hands, landing with a thud. Cloud's eyes had gone wide, his pupils dilated. Sephiroth quickly stood up and walked over to him, but he did not react. In fact, it appeared as though Cloud no longer registered his presence.

"Strife? Strife, are you okay?" He leaned down slightly to the shorter boy, but still, nothing happened. It was only then he began to notice a strange glowing light creep into Cloud's eyes. It was much like the eyes of a SOLDIER, except brighter and Strife had not had any mako injections-

"Cloud, what is wrong?" Keeping one hand on Masamune, he reached the other out to the trooper, stopping short when he spoke.

"Jenova." The voice was flat.

"What is going on? Strife, answer me!" He ordered, but Cloud's hand suddenly shot out and latched onto Sephiroth's wrist.

"She awakens and she will kill us all. The Calamity is calling for you…" The trooper's head slowly twisted until he was staring directly at the General. He did not panic-it was not befitting of one such as him-but Cloud's pupils were almost completely overwhelmed by blue. "Jenova's Cradle will then die by my hand."

Sephiroth attempted to free himself of the trooper's grip, but was completely surprised by his immovable hand. He _couldn't _make him let go. A sharp pain started growing in the side of his head, making his vision blurry.

_What is this? I am the General, I cannot afford such weakness. I cannot be affected by-and yet…_

_"_But I can't. I was not born for that purpose!" Cloud's voice grew more desperate as the grip tightened, and it sounded as though multiple people were talking at once. "Jenova must die! You must not listen to Her! Don't listen to…don't…Chaos is….She is awake."

As soon as the last line was spoken the pain in Sephiroth's head grew to nearly unbearable, but just as sudden as it came, it was gone. After his vision cleared, he looked down to see Strife collapsed on the floor. Kneeling on the ground as he was from his sudden headache, he reached down and checked to boy's pulse, which seemed to be normal. He was alive, but merely unconscious.

Sephiroth reached a hand up to his own face, a sick feeling creeping through his mind. He had found out he was a monster from Vincent and this could only be proof of that.

_What is going on here…?_

* * *

Zack didn't know what the hell was happening at all, but it was nothing good. One minute they were heading to the reactor, and then Angeal nearly collapsed, and now the mysterious Turk was looking rather mad. As in crazy mad.

All of a sudden a shriek came from out of nowhere and Zack had to cover his ears, not even noticing that disgusting _thing's _eyes opening. Vincent's body suddenly sprouted wings and the rest of him blurred, reforming itself.

What was left did not look human or friendly at all. The creature had a giant red headdress, some of the strands slipping over its eyes like the Turk's headband, and had Vincent's strange golden boots and arm tacked on. The most disturbing part however, was the face for it looked exactly like Vincent Valentine, minus the pale skin.

"What the hell?" Zack shouted at the thing, which took very little notice of him. Instead, it unfurled its wings, and flew directly at the Jenova creature, raising the Turk's decorated handgun to fire. He only got off a few shots before the chamber broke, releasing a strange black fluid and another unearthly wail. Zack stumbled against the side of the room, the sound driving needles into his skull.

_Dammit, I need to focus! I need to kill that thing! _Whatever Vincent had turned into, it looked like they had the same goal, so Zack just took it. Drawing his sword, he started advancing just as the creature turned monstrous.

He wasn't sure if the thing had a head, but it certainly had a large and bulbous red body with tentacles coming out of it. The Vincent creature paid the transformation no mind, merely raising its gun again and firing dead center. The Jenova monster, whatever it was, let out a scream and a laser shot out from it's mouth almost directly at Zack. Diving back out of the way, it hit the catwalk and blew a hole in the wall instead, partly destroying it.

"Woah!" Zack clung to the metal as the catwalk swayed dangerously. "That mako does not look friendly!"

_Oh god, what is that thing even…_The creature drew back, obviously preparing itself for another attack but the red-winged creature kicked it in the head. "The calamity from the skies has no place in this world!"

That was the first time the thing Vincent turned into spoke and even the voice sounded exactly the same. He briefly wondered what was even going on before leaping over another magic attack and slashing at the massive red body.

Jenova screamed and he stumbled again. God, fighting this thing was terrible when she could affect him so much…his only boon was Vincent's transformation, who just seemed to get more enraged the more she was injured. The crack of the gun went off again burying a few more bullets into the monsters flesh before he flew away.

Something told Zack materia would work here, so he merely kept at it with his sword. The Buster Sword would've been far more useful for breaking through the monster's thick hide, but there was no way he was dragging Angeal into this. He deflected a tentacle to the ground and ran his sword up it, slicing it in half.

Out of nowhere, _something _rose up from the ground and what seemed like a giant rock attempted to crush Jenova from below. Zack dodged out of the way, next to Vincent's creature, who was glowing blue. _Obviously, his attack…_

It did massive damage, for after the rocks stopped falling and the building stopped shaking, he saw that Jenova was beginning to lose her form. "Hey, let's finish this!"

The thing-Vincent-merely nodded, and they both rushed with their final attack. Zack broke into limit break and threw Blade Beam directly at her, while Vincent fired off his final shot. Both blows tore through her flesh, ripping the beast apart until there was nothing but scattered remains. He heard another resounding scream, but this time it seemed farther away then before.

Zack however was concerned with his monster friend, who seemed to be losing his shape. The ornate gun clattered to the ground and the creature stumbled forward, his form blurring again. Zack caught him and in a few seconds he was holding an exhausted Vincent Valentine.

"Hey, you okay, man?" He said quietly, helping him stand up again. The strange Turk said nothing, casting only the briefest of glances on the SOLDIER. The golden arm reached down to retrieve his gun.

"Chaos…was again too strong. I am in control now. He can hear Her voice…." Vincent said, standing up again.

"Her? You mean that thing? Jenova?" the SOLDIER asked him. Vincent merely nodded, his eyes widening as he looked past Zack's shoulder.

Zack whirled around and he saw why the Turk was so upset. Jenova was gone.

* * *

He had tried calling Cloud multiple times, but the trooper still refused to wake up. Sephiroth had thought the pain in his head had subsided, but instead it was being replaced by an almost unbearable urge to run straight to the reactor. On top of that, he seemed to be imagining voices…

Vincent had told him about his origins, how Jenova was not, in fact his mother, how he was just as human as his other friends. How it was Hojo's fault for manipulating him and wanting to twist him into a monster, but now he was even beginning to doubt those words.

Sephiroth did not feel human at all, as much as he was grateful for Vincent's words to say otherwise, and this incident was only proving it so. Here he was, the great General, hearing voices and longing to go meet the creature who had partly created him.

_No. Terrible things would happen then, _Vincent had said, and he no longer desired to push his comrades in danger, nor turn himself into the killing machine Hojo wanted. He attempted to focus on the small trooper in the room instead of his own pain in a futile attempt at distraction, but the boy remained sleeping.

What had come over him, he did not know, but the boy spoke of Jenova and a thing called Chaos as if he knew them, which was not possible.

_I will kill them all…all the ones who cause me suffering…_A sharp scream burrowed through his head again and the pain of it brought him to his knees, almost on top of Cloud.

"She is calling me…."His fingers twisted around strands of his hair and he could not see could not think it was just _her she called him and she wanted him to return she wanted him to destroy everything could you not see how terrible the humans are to you just kill them all my Son, you are stronger then they will ever be, claim your birthright-_

Suddenly, he felt a hand that wasn't his own against his face, and slowly opened his eyes. Cloud was staring straight at him, smiling gently. His eyes were still covered in blue, but it was not an evil light: rather, it was gentle, like an embrace from the Planet.

"It's okay…..She cannot harm you while I exist. You are not Her son…" he whispered. Sephiroth stared at the trooper, who was speaking again with a voice that was not his own.

"Do not listen to Her. Her voice is full of lies. Please, do not…you deserve life." Cloud's hand was shaking, whether from strain or emotion, he did not know, but Sephiroth felt as though he was listening to something far older then the trooper.

"Who…no, what are you?" he asked, reaching up to break away from the touch, but stopping short when Cloud smiled again.

"I am hope reborn. I will save you, I promise….everyone…" Cloud closed his eyes as final time and slumped to the floor, Sephiroth catching him just in time to set him gently down.

_What just…happened? _But no matter how long and hard he stared at the trooper, he just lay there, sleeping peacefully.

* * *

The first thing Cloud noticed when he woke up was that he was on the ground, and Sephiroth was sitting next to him.

"I…what?" He mumbled, then realized his situation and sat up quickly, nearly hitting his head on Sephiroth's sword.

"General! I'm-what happened?" He looked around, confused. There didn't seem to be aftermath of a battle or anything that had been disturbed. The last thing he remembered was looking at his storybook, and then the world grew all cold and green…

He looked over at the General who was staring back. Not even out of curiosity but just staring at him. "Did…something…happen?"

"I don't know…." Sephiroth looked just as confused as Cloud felt, which was not helping his sense that he had done something terribly wrong. Sephiroth brought a hand up to his own face, as if checking to see if something was still there. "You started acting oddly, froze in place, and then collapsed. I checked to see if you were okay, and then you started speaking to me. Are you telling me you have no memory of this?"

"What? No." Cloud shook his head vigorously. "All I remember is seeing a green light and someone shouting at me from really far away."

"This is concerning," Sephiroth said, continuing to stare directly at him.

"What exactly did I say, sir?" Cloud asked, curious as to what actually unnerved the near-immovable General.

"You…spoke of Jenova and how you would…save me." The way Sephiroth said the words made him feel incredibly weird.

"Me? Save _you?! _I said that?" But he was just a trooper! A trooper who apparently liked to randomly pass out at important events. The only consolation was that Sephiroth looked about as uncomfortable as Cloud felt about this event. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened…"

Sephiroth opened his mouth, presumably to say something in reply, when a very different voice cut across the room.

"_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess." _

Cloud whirled around, hoping to see possibly Zack or Angeal or even Reno standing there but instead, it was someone he'd never expected to meet face to face.

"Hello old friend. How are you today?"

It was Genesis.


	11. Loveless, Act I

**Hello everyone again, I apologize if this chapter isn't as good as some of the others, I've been sick these past couple days and for some reason, Genesis is really, really hard for me to write. Very unco-operative. Either way, they are finally leaving Nibelheim and onto brighter and better things (snorts)**

**Another thing to ask, I do have someone who does read through my fanfic, but I'm looking for another Beta reader who'd be willing to go through and help correct my grammar mistakes, since im really bad at spotting my own. I'd be grateful for any feedback/support since this project is getting way way bigger then i ever thought.**

**Anyway, I'm happy that so many people seem to like what I'm doing so far and I thank you for your continued support, so, Enjoy. ~Xar**

* * *

"Crap, where did she go?" Zack shouted, looking wildly back at the entrance. Vincent said nothing but practically flew out of the room. _He seemed to recover from being a monster pretty well….._

Wait, Angeal was there and he couldn't let him be in danger! Zack sped down the catwalk, practically leaping down past the stairs and the mako pods to find his mentor sprawled out on the floor, with Valentine standing next to him.

"He still holds Jenova's taint, but She is not here…." The retired Turk leveled his bright red gaze at the entrance of the reactor. Zack however, kneeled down to check on Angeal, worried. He was breathing steadily, but seemed to be in pain, either from exertion and the degradation. Or possibly the creepy monster that just tore through here.

"Angeal, Angeal are you okay? Wake up!" Zack shook the older man frantically, but he didn't respond right away.

"Angeal!" He was tempted to hit the man to stun him awake, but luckily his eyes opened before Zack could do that.

"Zack, I…."

"Oh thank the Goddess you're okay…" Zack took a deep breath to calm himself down. Angeal didn't seem like he was dying but he'd had far too many close encounters to not be paranoid. His mentor didn't answer but merely started pulling himself up. The younger SOLDIER eagerly bounced over to help him, but Angeal seemed to be ignoring him…again?

"Where is she?" Angeal directed the question at Vincent, who had been standing there, almost stock still.

"She is gone. I cannot sense Her, but She cannot leave the area. She cannot reach the manor." Vincent spoke softly. Zack looked between the two, thoroughly confused. Could both of them sense something he couldn't?

"Um guys? Want to explain what's going on?" He asked.

"Jenova," was Vincent's curt reply before he again took off and vanished.

"I'm sorry, Zack, but we can't explain things right now. We need to stop Jenova from getting away," Angeal said, wincing as he walked forward and drew his sword.

He was right, there was no time and they needed to keep it away from Sephiroth, but still…_Man, Angeal, I hope you can make it through this…_

The two of them ran down the stairwell of the reactor to find Vincent at the bottom, kneeling over Reno's prone body. It seemed that whatever had attacked Angeal had blown straight past the Turk too. Zack stepped forward, but the possessed Turk waved him off.

"He is fine." Vincent moved the boy until he was sitting against the side of the stairwell. "We need to leave him here. I suspect monsters won't be coming near this place for a very long time."

"We're just going to leave him here? Without any way to defend himself?!" Zack said, gesturing at the unconscious red-head, who had blood dripping down the left side of his face.

"He is a Turk, he will understand. And he will be fine." Vincent was standing again, looking extremely agitated. "_We need to get moving, now."_

Zack raised no further protests at the sound of Vincent's voice, though he was still concerned about Reno. If the other Turk was right, he'd be waking up in a few minutes and following them down. Hopefully.

"Zack!" Angeal gestured him to come along, and reluctantly, he did.

_Stay safe, everyone._

* * *

Cloud was frozen in his spot, never once taking his eyes off the red-coated man. How exactly had Genesis made it here? And why? Looking at the black wing sprouting out of the man's right shoulder, he recalled the feathers he'd found on the ground by the chocobos. _So they were his…._

Luckily for Cloud, Genesis completely ignored him and instead focused on the General. " So the hero returns…"

"What are you doing here, Genesis?" Cloud hadn't even heard Sephiroth take Masamune out of its sheath and yet there it was, in his hand. He slowly backed out of the way of the six foot blade, not wanting to get accidentally eviscerated.

Genesis had pulled out a little red book before speaking. "…We seek it thus, and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface…" He leveled his gaze at Sephiroth, "the wandering soul knows no rest."

"Loveless. Act one." The General spoke in a flat voice. "Will you ever stop quoting that drivel to me?"

"And yet you have that very passage memorized."

"How could I not, when you've pounded it into my head so many times?" Sephiroth said, tapping a finger on his temple.

Cloud suspected these two had this conversation before, but in a much friendlier manner. Now the General merely looked saddened by the state his friend was in. Genesis looked no worse then he did in the reactor and yet seeing him close up, Cloud could see all the signs of degradation; the greying hair and jacket, the feathers slowly shedding on the floor. The man was dying, just like Angeal.

Genesis let out a short laugh, putting his book away. "The three friends meet here again, isn't it ironic? The question still remains, which one of us is the hero?"

"That does not matter to me." Sephiroth raised Masamune.

"So a fight it is? Is this how you always treat precious friends? I don't see you attacking good old Angeal, now do I?" Genesis smiled mirthlessly, raising his own sword.

_Wait, I thought they were friends! Why are they fighting? _

"Angeal didn't attack Shinra HQ," Sephiroth shot back. Cloud looked around desperately for something to help. All there was was his storybook and a broken piece of piping in reach, and he did not have near enough strength to match Angeal…

"I thought you hated Shinra just as much as I did, Sephiroth. I had to sit through all your rants on what Hojo did almost every day," Genesis said. Both of them looked ready to snap at any moment.

"I do, but I am the General. I cannot just abandon my post as you did."

"You could have come with us!"

"_You _never told me."

This seemed like a spat between old comrades who'd had a falling out and Cloud didn't have nearly enough information to pass judgement, but he was tired of everyone fighting each other. As terrified of Genesis as he was, Cloud would have to do _something_.

And that something happened to be an incredibly dumb idea.

"Sorry, Sephiroth, I had things to do. Like I still do now. You'll have to take a raincheck. Like I told the puppy you sent after me, if the world despises me so, I will just drag it down with me!" With that Genesis jumped back slightly, raising his hand to swing his sword down.

_Shit, it's now or never! If they start attacking I can't react fast enough!_

Cloud rushed forward, having grabbed the pipe, and drew his sword out of its sheath. Both Genesis and Sephiroth had readied their own swords and he leapt between them, deflecting Genesis with the pipe and the General with his blade.

The strength of the two blows nearly made Cloud buckle over, but after a stumble he drew himself upwards, Genesis's sword inches from the back of his head. He'd counted on at least Sephiroth realizing what he was doing and not break his right arm, but it still shot pain down his muscles.

"Will. You. Two. STOP?!" Cloud shouted, attempting to twist the blades away from him. _I really need to ask Zack how to properly guard, this is ridiculous!_

Sephiroth let go immediately, but Genesis only backed up in surprise.

"Who the hell are you?" The red-coated man asked but Cloud didn't deign to answer him right away. The pipe he used to block him clattered to the floor and his sword was chipped slightly, but Cloud didn't care.

"Soon-to-be SOLDIER cadet Cloud Strife. I'm a friend of Zack's and Angeal's." Him mentioning that name got the reaction he wanted, and Genesis immediately narrowed his eyes.

"Cloud, do you even know what you're doing?!" Sephiroth was standing behind him and Cloud didn't know if his expression was one of anger or disbelief.

"No I don't. Which is why I'm doing it." Cloud turned back to Genesis, who was still staring at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Just a cadet? Then how…." Genesis didn't get to finish his sentence as Cloud pointed the notched sword at him.

"I thought you two were supposed to be friends!" This was feeling very, very familiar. In fact, almost the exact same way it felt standing up to Angeal for Zack, only that man had been far less volatile. He knew Genesis had been the one to attack headquarters and cause chaos in Wutai but this was different. This was Sephiroth.

_How would I feel if that was Zack coming at me?_

Okay, that comparison really didn't work.

"Were being the key word here. The hero is always in need of an audience." Genesis drew back at least, but didn't seem to be calming down. Neither was Sephiroth for that matter. He expected the General to be angry, but he was merely staring at the red-cloaked man with something that could only be described as-concern?

"Genesis…"

"I wanted to stop in and say hello on my search. Glad to see you still remember me, Sephiroth." He set his sword against the floor, almost as if ready to strike. "However, my time is wasted here, I see."

Cloud didn't know what was making him angry, but the man he admired pretty much all his life was finally opening up to him, and Genesis had ruined everything. _He _was the one causing pain.

"He actually cares about you, you idiot. You're acting like a child!" It didn't help this man had the same sort of annoying aura Reno did that just _made _you want to fight them.

Of course, that proved to be a very bad thing to say. Genesis whirled, pulling out a gun and shooting after a moments hesitation. Something hit Cloud right in the shoulder and he got knocked back onto the ground, too stunned to actually do anything.

"Out of my way, kid." He barely heard Genesis's voice before there was a whirl of blades and the sound of clashing metal as Sephiroth deflected the fight away from the trooper. _No, stop fighting! I told you to stop! _

Again, he had the sense of something very bad could happen but that wasn't just it. Cloud had seen a fraction of what he could accomplish and it boiled down to protecting his friends. All of them. He'd made the promise, once, twice, and he knew he couldn't let them down now.

The pain didn't even register as he scrambled up again, hopped up on that strange energy from before, and he saw Genesis and Sephiroth attempting to fight. They all realized one thing-this room was too small. He stayed low, nearly being beheaded by a swipe from Sephiroth's sword, as the red-coated man fled out to the main foyer. Cloud was briefly wondering if the trooper outside was okay and hoped that he'd fled back to Nibelheim, but that wasn't the highest on his priorities.

The pain started growing in his bullet wound, but again, that wasn't important. He chased after the General and his friend but they had already exited the building. Cloud kept racing after them, practically leaping out of the building when all of a sudden he sensed Vincent again. He nearly collided head-on with the fence as he brought himself to a stop.

_What is it? Why is he coming back so fast?_

Something felt wrong again, similar to the feeling he had recently-and all his life, really-that a terrible event was about to take place, and he started shouting Sephiroth's name. As he caught up to them, Genesis and the General were still fighting, the shorter man flying through the air, but his eyes were not focused on them. Rather, they were on the mountain pass, where a few extremely nasty and mutated monsters were rushing down from.

_Crap, they aren't gonna budge, are they…._His shoulder was burning slightly, but luckily it was the left one. He had his summon materia and the sword, but even after sleep, Cloud knew he wouldn't be able to use magic.

The fastest of the monsters had broken into the valley and the trooper readied his sword, knowing he'd have to protect Sephiroth and Genesis' fight, and most importantly, the village. However, before it could even get in range, there was a red flash and the monster was kicked back by Vincent Valentine.

"What's going on?!" He shouted at the retired Turk.

"I could ask you the same thing," he growled as another blow from his gauntlet brought the creature down for good.

"I don't know. Genesis just showed up and that happened." He pointed at the two SOLDIERs still fighting. Vincent cast a quick look at them, and then at Cloud-more specifically, his gunshot wound.

"You expect to hold these off with that?" He asked.

"I can't even feel it. Besides, I have to protect the village," Cloud said.

Vincent merely said nothing and turned back to the mountains where the rest of the monsters were catching up. Cloud was about to ask where Zack and Angeal were when he saw the latter fly out of the sky practically on top of one of the monsters. _They must have chased them all the way down…_

One of the smaller ones like the one Vincent killed leapt at him, and he quickly sidestepped. Up close, he could see the beast was clearly mutated, similar to some of the copies Zack had described-and the ones in Modeoheim- except these were wilder and less controlled. It was more of a blob of things badly cobbled together.

_No, scratch that. _He rolled out of the way of another attack, knowing he wouldn't be able to block. _A blob of things that wants to eat me. _

He stabbed somewhere where he thought its head was and managed to mostly kill it. Looking up, he was surprised that Sephiroth and Genesis had stopped fighting and were actually teaming up against one of the larger ones.

Zack had also popped out of nowhere next to him and Angeal was still in the skies. _Thank God that trooper isn't here but…where is Reno?_

There was a roar behind him and a large wolf like creature leaped past Cloud.

"Holy Goddess!" He yelled and tried to strike it with his sword, but a shout from Zack stopped him in his tracks.

"Cloud, NO! THAT'S VINCENT!" His blade shuddered to a halt inches away but the blueish wolf-beast paid no notice, merely started ripping through another monster.

"What?" He stared at Zack, dumbfounded.

"No time to explain. But he's on our side, I promise!" Zack shouted frantically before running off again.

The battle raged on in complete and utter chaos; Cloud didn't even know how many monsters there were, but it really didn't matter, since they were all extraordinarily hard to kill. The only one who could seem to land a surefire finishing blow was Vincent and that was mostly because he was a monster himself. Now that Zack had pointed it out he could faintly sense the Turk inside the beast, but he blamed his mistake on the chaos around him.

With four SOLDIER first classes fighting at once, and of course, a highly trained Turk, it wasn't that Cloud was worried they would lose; he was worried that all the smaller monsters he stabbed kept getting up again.

It did give him a lot of good practice at dodging blows at last minute.

He swung his sword around and buried it in the head of the final weird couerl replica, using his body weight to drive the blow home. Looking up, Cloud could see Vincent finishing off his prey, the lines of the wolf thing-**_the Galian Beast!-_**blurring. The trooper turned his head to see if any of the monsters had made it past to Nibelheim, but the village seemed untouched. In fact, they were only going after the SOLDIERS, the stench of faint decay clinging to their skin.

A flash of a sword, and Masamune cut through a a large beast's arm, toppling it from its charge on Cloud. Everything seemed to be wrapping to a close, though Angeal was still weaving in and out of the air and dropping down on a monster from above to give a solid blow straight to the snout.

_Did he just punch a lion in the face?! _

Cloud shook himself. He kept getting horribly distracted in the middle of battle and it wouldn't do for someone like him. Instead, he joined Zack in making sure the monsters were really dead.

"Oh wow….that was some hard work…." The young SOLDIER buried the point of his broadsword in the ground while attempting to catch his breath.

"Zack, what the hell are these? These aren't normal monsters!" Cloud demanded. Did this have something to do with him passing out and hearing those voices?

"Yeah they aren't, I think this is all Jenova's fault….she must've made those monsters to keep us busy while she escaped…"

"Escaped? So she _was _in the reactor?" If that had really been that strange creature, then that would explain Sephiroth acting oddly, and that Vincent was right.

"Yeah…it was terrible…wait, Cloud are you okay?" Zack had noticed the blood running down Cloud's bare shoulder.

"I'm fine, it's just a gunsh-" Cloud saw the beast careening wildly around behind his friend and knew it was only a matter of time before they were in range as well. Forcing his injured arm to move, Cloud grabbed Zack's broadsword with both hands, ripping it out of the earth. Imitating the way he'd seen Zack and Angeal wield it countless times, he spun around on his heel and took a running leap at the side of the injured monster. He didn't have enough strength to cleave straight through its flesh like any of the SOLDIERs, so it go stuck halfway. Knowing that would probably happen, he drew his other sword and and like against the safe creature, stabbed it directly in the head. It let out a horrid shriek and fell down, but he clung to the swords until it fell completely still.

_Yeah…there's no way I'm getting those out of there. _It had taken a lot of his strength to just stab the thing in the skull.

Turning around, he saw the rest of the battle had clearly ended, with the corpses disappearing all around the SOLDIER firsts, and Sephiroth standing, as pristine as ever. Zack was still the closest to him, his eyes bugged out at Cloud's sudden burst of strength.

"Holy. What. The. HELL?!" The young SOLDIER ran up to the sword then stared back at the trooper. Then back at the sword.

"Will you stop being so surprised?!" Cloud asked, annoyed. This was the second time he'd gotten that reaction and while it felt great, it was also kind of bothering. "I didn't do anything that special."

Except he secretly hoped that Sephiroth did see him do that because he maybe sort of wanted the General to acknowledge the skill he had.

"Wow, now I _really _wish I'd seen that fight! Cloud, I didn't know you could use a sword that well, especially a broadsword!" Zack was jumping around like a little kid on a holiday. "Is that what you did against that safe thing?"

"Um, sort of? I just….did what I felt was okay. Like I said."

"I KNEW I saw something in you! You got some natural talent with this sword, spiky!" Zack crowed and ripped both blades out of the fading monster. Cloud's heart jumped at that statement. He knew he'd been getting better ever since he'd arrived in this mansion, but to hear Zack himself say it was the best part. He glanced again back at Sephiroth who merely nodded slightly in his direction. A warm feeling spread over his face as the General recognized him. It was Cloud's dream come true, and since Zack promised to get him into SOLDIER he could finally fulfill his promises. The trooper felt giddy enough inside to wash the threat of Hojo away.

However, his gunshot wound brought him quickly back to reality as it shot pain straight down his arm, causing him to stumble.

"Ow," he said, a bit late, holding his hand over the wound to try and stop some of the blood.

"Cloud! You did all of that with _that?_" Zack was on him in less then a moment, praise forgotten. The trooper winced as he got sat down and Zack started poking around at the wound. "What happened here? This looks like a bullet!"

"Genesis. He shot me." Cloud said, suddenly looking up again. He'd forgotten that the red-coated man was here as well, but when he scanned the area, there was not a single trace of him. Sephiroth seemed to be searching as well, even going up to Angeal and demand that he look through the skies.

"Genesis did this? What the hell prompted that? Ugh, the bullet's still stuck in there, but you're probably lucky, it doesn't bleed as much like that," Zack muttered as he kept messing with the wound, earning a startled yelp from Cloud.

"Ow! Careful! I mean, I did call him an idiot to his face. So I was kind of asking for it." Not even getting shot was going to ruin the trooper's mood right now.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Zack said, drawing out a knife. He knew he should've been grateful that the bullet managed to get lodged in there at a weird angle, but that wasn't going to make it hurt any less. "Sorry Cloud, but I've got a cure materia. I can heal you right up."

"It's okay, I got a piece of wood stuck in my leg when I was younger." He winced and turned his head away when Zack dug in.

"Stop changing the subject. What possessed you to stand up to Genesis like that? Large monsters are one thing, but this is….Genesis!" Zack would've probably waved the knife at him had it not been currently buried in his wound. He closed his eyes, digging his nails as far into his gloves as he could.

"I just didn't want them fighting anymore."

"Who?"

"Sephiroth and Genesis. They were friends, weren't they?"

"Yeah." A final flick of the blade and the bullet was out. "Got it!" Zack held up the bloody piece of metal to Cloud. "Want a war souvenir?"

He just shook his head, and Zack grinned, tossing it over his shoulder. "Suit yourself."

The SOLDIER's mood, however, became much more serious after he pulled out the Cure materia. "Sephiroth and Genesis were once close, but I think they grew apart. It was always something to do with Genesis wanting to be the hero, but well…." Zack went silent as he cast the spell and the green light eagerly jumped from the materia to his skin, soothing the pain and closing the wound. Cloud let out a breath, thanking the stone silently for being so willing to help. "Anyway, I'm glad you tried to stop them, but don't keep risking your life protecting people, okay?"

"I….okay," Cloud muttered. It was complicated.

"You're mostly healed, but I'd suggest taking it easy with that arm for a couple of days. Got it?" Zack pointed a no nonsense finger at Cloud, getting off the ground. The trooper just ignored him and his warning, looking around to see Angeal and Sephiroth. Angeal was resting, sitting back against his Buster Sword much as Cloud was doing, but the General was staring at the sky, something clutched in his left hand.

_Wait…where are…._

"Zack!" He scrambled upwards. "Where's Reno?"

Vincent he figured could handle himself and mysteriously vanished all the time anyway, but for the red-head to not be present during exciting events was nearly unthinkable.

"We had to leave him up by the reactor, since he got knocked out by Jenova as she escaped." Zack turned back, handing Cloud his sword, which was now also bent from exertion. "Wow. Okay, when we start training I think I'm just gonna give you a broadsword. Everything else you use seems to break."

Secretly, Cloud was excited at that prospect; despite his liking for those double blades, the broadsword had felt far more natural in his hands. No one messed with someone with a huge sword.

More pressing though, was his new-found partner…person. Whatever he and Reno had. Cloud hated to admit it, but he was kind of worried for the Turk, knowing the mountains and the monsters here, and the fact the red-head was at the very least unconscious when the others left him.

_Then again, it's Reno. I have a feeling he'll pull through. _

Vincent appeared again suddenly, but the trooper, having regained control over his sixth sense, knew he was coming.

"You missed one." He spoke in his raspy voice.

Angeal immediately stood up and faced him, despite his fatigued appearance, as did Cloud. "Where is it?"

Vincent however, shook his head slightly. "It has already been taken care of."

They all stared at him in confusion until said monster barreled down the path. Zack muttered something, his sword at the ready, until they all realized the beast was mortally wounded. It looked like it used to be some form of wolf, but had grown appendages and a weird ugly eyeball head, like something out of a horror movie.

It was stumbling and Cloud could see a bunch of scorch marks all over the creature, as well as several bleeding wounds. The rest of the group stared it down, even if it was on its last legs, until there was a rustling and quite suddenly Reno dropped down in front of them.

"What the-!" The trooper was glad he wasn't the only one who had jumped-Reno looked like he'd been put through a shredder, with the large angry red lines across his forehead and lower face.

"Your best plan was t' leave me behind in a place like that?" The red-head said angrily, completely ignoring the near-dead monster behind him.

"We figured you would be fine," Sephiroth said calmly. "Are you not a Turk?"

Reno just gave the General his best glare. "The least you coulda done was warn me I'd have to clean up after you guys."

_Wait…Reno did…..that? _Cloud's eyes slid over to the scorched monster that was attempting to attack the Turk a final time. Without missing a beat, Reno pulled out his gun, aimed and fired directly at the eyeball, finally killing the thing. His eyes never once left Cloud's face.

There was a scary look in the Turk's eyes. They no longer held the mischievous light that he'd become so renowned for but were now lined with a darkness only seen in a predator. He'd forgotten how easily this boy who was the same age as him had been specially trained to be an assassin. How easily he could kill on an order.

And yet, in the space of five seconds, Reno's expression softened and grew completely back to normal, bouncing down to his blond friend. "Look's like you guys had all the fun without me."

Still caught off guard by the Turk's transformation and his taking down the beast, Cloud shoved him away. "I thought you said you had terrible aim!"

"Wrong!" Reno held up a finger. "I have terrible aim. As a _Turk. _There's a difference."

"You know what? Fuck you, that's what." Cloud's admiration and fear of the red-head deflated all in one instant.

"Language, language, my dear friend." Reno waved a finger at him, and he resisted the urge to break it off.

"I wish that monster had eaten you, it would've saved us all a lot of trouble," Cloud growled back, before a pair of large arms got them both into a headlock.

"Behave, both of you," Zack said, nearly lifting Cloud off the ground. "We're in this together."

Cloud could hear Reno's muffled protests on the other side of the SOLDIER. "Yeah I got it, just tell him to stop being an idiot."

"Well, glad you're makin' friends at least." Zack let go with a ruffle of his hair and a slight push to the Turk.

"Yeah, like you could call that bastard a friend…" Cloud grumbled, then yelped when Reno hit him over the back of the head.

"I heard that, yo!"

Cloud really didn't want to fight with the Turk, he wanted to ask everyone else what was going on, so he ignored the red-head's antics.

"Why did Vincent turn into that monster?" He asked Zack, seeing how Sephiroth and Angeal were having a moment.

"Hojo." Of course Vincent was right behind him. As he spoke, Cloud turned around to get a good look at him. The strange man did not appear any different, except perhaps more tired. Otherwise, for having turned into a wolf, he seemed fine.

"Your…experiment?" The trooper guessed, and the deadly light in Vincent's gaze answered that question.

_Perhaps that's the reason he could survive so long in a coffin like that._

"But what about Chaos? I mean he can ta-" Cloud's voice trailed off when he noticed both Reno and Zack staring oddly at him. "What?"

"Vincent mentioned Chaos when we were fighting Jenova in the reactor. How did you know that?" Zack suddenly asked.

"Uh, I talked to Vincent before?" He didn't quite know how either, but he had heard the creature and the retired Turk _had _mentioned his name.

Zack sort of looked to be buying it, but it was hard to tell with Reno. Cloud quickly changed the subject before either of them could jump on him again. "You said you fought Jenova?"

"Yeah. She turned out to be in the reactor, but turned into a monster. Me and Vincent-" the SOLDIER gestured to the Turk, who had fallen silent-"took her on at the core of the reactor, but she turned into a monster. We killed it, but despite Vincent's transformation, she escaped."

"Man, this thing came ramming by and she just fuckin' knocked me out. Bam!" Reno added on unneeded commentary.

"So she created all these monsters?" The trooper pointed around him where the corpses were disintegrating.

"It was to distract us so she could escape." Angeal was done with Sephiroth and joined the conversation. "We've failed."

The older man's statement drove it home for the rest of them. The very monster Hojo and Hollander had used to create these SOLDIERs, the one said to be able to destroy the world, was on the loose. And no one, not even Vincent or Cloud's sixth sense, could tell them where she was. If this creature was anything as bad as what Zack had told him and what they had read while in the library, terrible things could happen to the Planet and Shinra would never be able to stop it. Jenova left no trace; it would be impossible to know her next move.

They had unleashed the Calamity upon the world.

* * *

Sephiroth did not join the others, instead merely staring into the sky that Genesis had disappeared into. The first moment he laid eyes upon his old friend, the General was overjoyed to see him. That was, until he'd seen the effects of the degradation and his fight with Zack, as well as the almost crazed look in Genesis's eyes. There was very little of the man he once knew left.

They had fought and for some reason Cloud had stepped in and stopped them. He was less impressed with the fact he'd stood up to them, starting to get used to the boy's nerves of steel, and more that he actually was able to stop Genesis, of all people. As far as he knew, his friend had not been holding back like Sephiroth had.

Perhaps it had been left over from the strange energy that had possessed the small trooper earlier.

Either way, by the time they had taken the fight outside, the Jenova possessed monsters had attacked, interrupting them. Sephiroth and the others had taken care of business, but Genesis had disappeared.

His purpose had to been reclaim Jenova, but why had he made this detour? Why had he confronted Sephiroth?

"We seek it thus, and take to the sky…." He did not want to believe his friend was so far gone that there was no hope.

_Do you really desire freedom so much? Do you…despise me?_

It hurt him to think that.

They needed to return to Shinra now, that was for sure. Not only had Hojo wanted Sephiroth to meet Jenova and cause a terrible event to take place, but now the very creature was on the loose and Genesis himself was seeking it. They could not be left unchecked any longer and deserting the company now would only alarm their enemies and drive them into a corner.

Plus, there was the matter of the boy to take care of. He desired to become a SOLDIER, despite his knowledge of what they really were, and was connected to this whole business in some way. Also, the strange encounter with Cloud and the glowing eyes was bothering him. What exactly was going on? Sephiroth did not like being out of the loop.

"I'm sorry, Genesis." He opened up his palm and let a few black feathers float out of his hand. "I see what you mean. 'The wandering soul knows no rest…'"

He gracefully returned to his other comrades as the feathers floated up into the sky.

* * *

_The three companions:-the hero, the prisoner, and the wanderer-had all lost each other, searching for the gift of the goddess. But it was not to remain so. Their fates were bound together again by an unbreakable promise, one where they were to share their journey together. Tied together as brothers, torn apart by torment. Who was the hero, and who becomes the victim?_

_-from the files of Uther Strife_

_Loveless (Act 1)_


	12. Return to Shinra

**It's midnight, it's technically saturday. Anyway, I have to apologize. I was originally planning a double update this time since this is just one of those transitional chapters and not much happens, but me being sick actually got WORSE and well this week has just been really bad and I'm lucky I had this done early. So again, I'm sorry that there isn't more and I'll try to get the stuff going again soon.**

**Funny story about something in this chapter: Reno was never actually supposed to have a major role in the fic. I intended to write him in as a cameo since he's one of my favorite Turks but he sort of stole his way in there and is slowly morphing into one of the most important characters. (you'll see)**

**Anyways, still looking for a Beta person and I'll stop talking before the Author Note is longer then the chapter itself. Enjoy. -Xar**

* * *

"But what about the chocobos?" Cloud was panicking. He'd forgotten about the birds because of the whole business with Jenova, but now that he remembered their fluffy friends…"Zack, we have to do something about them before we go back!"

"Chill, chill, Cloud. You know what makes chocobos so special?" Zack clapped his hands onto the top of Cloud's head,"If you let the rentals go, they instinctively return to their owners. They'll be perfectly fine if we just set them free."

Now that Zack had said it, it did make sense. Cloud remembered something like that in the books he read about chocobos, and since all monsters were afraid of them, the birds would probably be fine. His own little black one however, was a different story.

"Then what about Zack? He needs a home and I can't leave him in Nibelheim," Cloud said, attempting to remove his friend's hands.

"Like I said, don't worry! Out east past Kalm there's this chocobo farm. If you attach a note and some money to your little guy, the lady at that outpost should make sure he gets there. And besides, if anyone else tried to steal him, he'd probably eat them." Zack laughed, waggling his fingers to show all the times the chocobo pecked them.

"Really? You're sure?" Cloud finally got free of the hands.

"Yeah. I bought out a stable there awhile ago in case I needed it. I can give it to that little guy. Maybe you can enter him in some races and get some extra cash, huh?" Zack's elbow nudged at Cloud and he just dodged and gave him a look.

"I got enough from killing those monsters, thank you," Cloud grumbled, purposefully ignoring Zack as he went to go take care of the birds. Even if it was just a short trip, he'd grown attached to them-and they to him-and he was sorry to see them go, but they wouldn't be happy where he was going. Setting the two other green ones free, he stuck around with Zack a little bit longer.

"Sorry I gotta send you away, but I'll promise I'll visit sometime, okay? Besides, that chocobo guy at the farm is sure to take good care of you." He buried his hands in the soft feathers around the bird's neck as it warbled softly and pecked a bit at his hair.

"You'll be fine. Like all of us will. And maybe I'll come and ride you some more and we can even race, how does that sound? You look like a racer." Cloud smiled and patted his head. Zack squawked almost in agreement, and ruffled his feathers.

"Well, enough teary goodbyes." The trooper-former trooper, really-made sure everything was off the chocobo and slipped a note and some gil he'd made off the safe monster fight into a pouch on the saddle. The note contained instructions to send Zack to the chocobo farm and also contact details in case something came up.

"You're all set." Looking around briefly to see no one was watching, he lightly kissed the bird on his head and then shooed him off. Zack mournfully rustled his wings, but did as his owner said and trotted off into the mountains.

* * *

"I am going to Midgar as well," Vincent had said suddenly, emerging from the shadows. The other SOLDIERs looked at him in surprise.

"I thought you said you didn't want to return to Shinra, or was that just Angeal?" Zack asked curiously.

Vincent cocked his head slightly. "I have no love for the company, but I wish to assist you in your task of taking down Hojo. Therefore, I will infiltrate Midgar below the plate."

"No one will be looking for a dead man," Sephiroth said.

"Indeed." With a flap of his cape, and the man had vanished into the scenery.

"Hey wait! How are we supposed to contact….you…and he's gone." Zack threw up his hands. "Man, I know he's a Turk, but he really sucks at the whole 'communicating thing'."

"No need for that, Zack. He has already given me his number." Sephiroth cut into the younger man's rant.

"Well _that's just lovely."_

* * *

"I'm sorry I have to leave you again, but you know I cannot return right now. For a lot of reasons," Angeal was telling his student. To be fair, Zack did know _why _he had to leave he just didn't like it.

"You promise that, okay? This isn't like last time where you just vanish into thin air and then come back spouting some crap about being a monster, okay?" Zack demanded, actually poking his mentor in the chest.

Angeal had the gall to actually chuckle at that. "I know, I know, death by puppy then, is it? I'm just going to go look for Genesis. I have to find him before its too late, Zack."

"Yeah, I get it…just keep in touch, okay?" Zack wiggled his hand by his ear to indicate a cell phone. "When you can."

"It'll be helpful to us all." Sephiroth had come up behind him. "If we are really to be working together, with the new threat of Jenova."

Angeal nodded. "How could I abandon you now, Sephiroth? I have been given a new lease on life, and I feel the need to use it."

"Bring him back safe, Angeal." Sephiroth said softly, holding out his hand. Zack smiled slightly, edging out of the way. He was glad the man finally had at least one of his friends back. He'd been so _lonely. _

The older SOLDIER took Sephiroth's hand, actually pulling the General into a rough hug like he'd seen many soldiers do. Sephiroth looked a bit surprised by the gesture, but didn't worm his way out of it.

"I will Seph. We'll all get through this." Angeal let go of his friend. "The helicopter the Turk called for will be coming soon. I need to leave."

The General merely nodded, looking rather glum. "Angeal, if you do meet up again with Genesis…" He leaned forward and whispered something into the older man's ear that Zack did not catch, but it must've been something important from the way Angeal's eyes widened.

"I…I understand."The older SOLDIER nodded and Sephiroth backed away, resuming his immovable poker face as if the conversation had not happened. There was no way in hell Zack was even going to try and ask, as dying with curiosity as he was.

"Oh, and another thing…Zack. If I can, I'd like to hear how Cloud does with his training," Angeal said, startling the younger man out of his train of thought.

"Wait, huh? Why?"

"Well, he's going to be a student of yours, correct? I may not be Shinra personnel anymore, but I still need to keep up on my own student's exploits." The mischievous glint in his mentor's eyes was there again, and Zack was overjoyed to see it back. It meant Angeal was getting _better. _

"Man, so little confidence in me." Zack sighed dramatically."I guess I'll have to now, just to prove you wrong."

Angeal gave a ruffle to Zack's hair, much like he loved doing to his blond friend, and smiled. "You picked a good one, puppy."

The older man stepped back, and with a swift motion, his white wing unfurled, and he took to the sky. Zack squinted upwards, waving a bit, until he couldn't even see a shadow, desperately wishing his mentor the best of luck.

He slid his eyes over to where Sephiroth was still standing impassively, hoping the General too would be okay. At least this time, he'd left on a better note, with hope of further contact.

"We're…not gonna tell Cloud about the whole puppy thing, okay?" Zack pleaded.

"I would never." Sephiroth smiled.

* * *

By the time Cloud had made it back to the group, Angeal had already left. "Aww Cloud, you just missed him! He left like a couple minutes ago!" Zack said mournfully.

"Good, 'cause I think Reno already called for the chopper to pick us up in a few minutes," Cloud replied, dumping the rest of their bags at his feet.

"Aaaand, he is correct!" A too-familiar voice said right behind him, as a too-familiar pair of arms invaded his personal space. "They were all so upset to leave each other; it was such a sad farewell! Almost brought a tear to my eye, yo!"

"Reno, I swear to Minerva, right now, I'm gonna rip your arms off!" Cloud snarled, trying to get out of the Turk's grip. Reno merely let go and danced away quickly, light as ever on his feet.

"Yeah, well if I ever meet said Goddess face to face, I'll hold you to that promise, got it, slick?" The red-head flashed his famous wolf grin.

"Jee, way to ruin the moment, Reno." Zack grumbled.

"Jus' doin' my job, ya know! Tseng pays me for this, after all."

"I doubt that…"

Cloud ignored the ongoing conversation in favor of staring back at the peaceful village behind him. It was home to many bad memories, but then again, it was still home. He was suddenly seized by an onslaught of homesickness, wondering if he should just rush home and burst into his house, telling his mom he was there and he was okay.

Or maybe even see if Tifa was still around, asking about him and assure her that he hadn't given up, maybe apologizing for making the same promise to Zack.

_You can still wait, can't you?_

At the same time, Cloud knew he couldn't do that. Coming back to the village as he was now would just be showing them all his failure to do it the first time. It would prove them all right, prove himself right, and he couldn't handle that. He was going to go back with Zack and become a SOLDIER, now that he had a second chance.

Cloud just needed a bit more time. With Zack's help, the trooper could finally find the strength to protect everyone. _I've done it with Angeal and Sephiroth, I can do this. _

"Are you sure you don't want to go back? This is your last chance," Zack said quietly, noticing his friend's preoccupation.

Cloud shook his head firmly. "No. I'm not ready. And….they'll understand."

At least his mom and maybe Tifa would. Besides, he could just send them a letter later, like he was planning on doing.

"Okay then, if you're sure." Zack smiled at him and went to wait for the chopper. Cloud turned back and sighed. Nothing ever turned out the way he planned.

* * *

The good thing was, Cloud had managed to successfully stave off his motion sickness for most of the ride back to Midgar. The bad thing was the two regulars assigned to the mission kept staring at him and Zack-him especially, being so out of uniform.

The story they gave them was that Zack and Cloud had lost contact with Shinra after the skirmish at Modeoheim, and afraid Genesis' troops may be after them, travelled their way down to Nibelheim where they heard the General would be visiting, in hopes they could rendezvous there. The troopers, with added confirmation from Sephiroth, seemed to buy it.

_I hope the rest of Shinra does too, because if not, we're in big trouble…_And he didn't have a reputation to protect himself.

"Are you sure you aren't going to throw up?" Zack whispered to him, but Cloud merely let off a frosty glare.

"I open my mouth, and I'm liable to puke on you, so shut it." Thinking about returning to Shinra managed to jump-start his motion sickness, _yes thank you for that. _

"Good thing once you get mako injections that will probably go away." The younger first class kept speaking. "And now I know why you were so quiet on the first chopper flight! I was wondering about that…"

Thankfully, the flight didn't last nearly as long as the boat ride so Cloud didn't have to listen to Zack's rambling too much, but as they approached Shinra headquarters, his eyes bugged out.

"Is there a reason Tseng and the Vice President are out there waiting for us?" He asked, his voice going up about five octaves.

Sephiroth finally reacted to this new information. "Rufus Shinra is out there?"

Cloud pointed out the window. "That is him, right?" It was one of the few bits of information he actually had paid attention to.

Both of the first classes nodded. Cloud had forgotten about the other two troopers, so he ignored their odd stares in favor of not having a panic attack. "Oh shit, I'm totally dead…"

"Strife, they have no reason to actually be angry at you," Sephiroth started to say but the trooper cut him off.

"You mean you two! You're the General of SOLDIER and you-you're Zack Fair! I'm just a trooper and I don't even have a proper uniform!" Crap, he knew this was such a terrible idea and why would the Vice President be out there in the first place? Did he suspect their real purpose? If so, Cloud was the weakest link.

"Cloud, calm down! I already told you I'd cover for you. It was my idea anyway!" Zack was desperately trying to ease his worries, but it wasn't working very well.

"They have a lot more on their plates then an out-of-uniform infantryman. Calm down," Sephiroth said. Cloud stared at him, but took a deep breath. _If the General seems to be willing to cover, I think I can be okay…._

"Luckily no Hojo…" he whispered softly enough that only the SOLDIERs could hear, and both of their moods grew visibly darker.

"We're landin', yo!" Reno called from the cockpit to the silence in the cabin.

* * *

Cloud tried to not feel the stares as he hopped down onto the helipad after the blades had stopped whirring. It helped that Zack and Sephiroth emerged straight after him, but he still felt horribly self-conscious. Tseng and the Vice President had started walking over as soon as they had got out and he forced himself to look only at the Turk.

"Hey boss, we made it back!" Reno came down from the cockpit, and Tseng nodded at him.

"Thank you Reno, I can see that." Tseng turned back to the General, but Cloud himself was more concerned with the other blond-haired man, who was staring right at him.

_It's creepy how much we look alike…_The trooper shook his head. No. He needed to concentrate.

"Your mission was a success, I take it?" The Turk leader asked, and he could hear the double-sided question.

"For the most part," Sephiroth replied."It did not go all quite as intended."

"And what would you mean by that?" The Vice President spoke for the first time. The General slid his cool gaze over to him instead.

"There was an unexpected monster attack, but nothing I couldn't handle." he said calmly, never faltering once. Cloud couldn't gauge Sephiroth's attitude towards the Vice President, but since this involved his friends, he probably wasn't taking kindly to the questioning.

"Then what about the sudden return of Zack Fair and…"Vice President Shinra's gaze rested on Cloud finally. "Who are you? I don't remember you being a SOLDIER first."

_Crap! _

"That's uh, because I'm not, sir. Vice President!" He snapped his hand up in a full, perfect salute. "My name is Cloud Strife, Squad 7 of the Shinra standing army. My uniform was ruined and when I arrived in Nibelheim, this was the only suitable replacement I could find!"

"It was my idea," Zack quickly cut in, standing almost in front of Cloud. "He's not trying to impersonate a superior officer or anything like that, I swear!"

Luckily, the Vice President seemed to be almost amused by this turn of events. "Fine. Cloud Strife, is it? There are much more worrisome things to bother about then a trooper with the wrong uniform, especially if SOLDIER Fair seems so eager to defend."

Cloud let out a breath he'd been holding, shooting a i-told-you-so glance at Zack, who pretended he couldn't see it.

"Then what are you two actually doing here?" The Vice President continued to speak, but luckily, Sephiroth took that one.

"That will all be explained in the official report, so if you would like to not delay us any further…" There was a tension between the two that lasted for only a moment, before the vice president gave way, and gestured that they continue walking. The two Turks had watched the entire thing passively, and when Cloud glanced over at him, Reno winked, as if to congratulate him for all the extra attention.

Tempted to flip him off, he just turned back and scampered after Zack, feeling out of place among the whole group.

* * *

Sephiroth sighed and massaged his temples. He'd been staring too long at this report, trying to see if all the stories made sense together. Tseng and Reno he need not worry about, since it was the Turks' job to present cover-ups to the board all the time, but it was Zack and Cloud, as well as the two regulars, he was more worried about. His two companions had done well so far to not mention Angeal or even Genesis in front of anyone, but the General knew that luck could only hold so far. It had only been a day, after all.

Surprisingly, their reports fit each others tellings of the events with enough incongruency to deny being scripted. The General suspected Reno may have helped Cloud out with that, but the boy had also proven to be very smart. Perhaps it was a good thing. After all, who would suspect a former trooper and Zack Fair of being tricksters?

Speaking of former trooper, Zack had wasted no time submitting his request to sponsor Cloud into the SOLDIER program. He smirked at the form before signing his approval down, wondering how much it would piss Hojo off to let in a cadet he'd formerly failed. Unfortunately, it would take awhile for the request to be fully processed, but they could handle the wait.

_Hojo…_Sephiroth leaned back, his mind whirling with all the terrible facts he'd learned of his origins. Some of it he had already suspected-Hojo never had treated him as human, after all-but to read and realize the extent of the things done to him was sickening. He strongly believed Vincent's words were the only thing that had stopped him from going into a rage. This was a man who had given him something precious: the truth.

He was human originally. And he had a mother, Lucrecia Crescent. Vincent had shown him a picture and he was right; he did look like her, even if Hojo had perverted his genetics to the point where Sephiroth could barely recognize himself. There was very little that was keeping him from storming into Hojo's office right now and murdering the man in cold blood, and it had to do with proving to the man he wasn't the killer Hojo had groomed him to be.

That and he suspected Hojo knew how to save his friends from their degradation. _The only thing we can do is wait…his time shall come._

* * *

It was odd for Cloud to return to the army barracks after the whole escapade to Modeoheim and his hometown, though he was finally grateful for a working shower and a bed that wasn't covered in dust. His squadmates seemed to be out for training at the moment so he had free reign of the bathrooms.

_Finally, I can get all that mud out of my hair…_After relaxing in the hot water for about an hour and finally changing into some proper clothes, not that the SOLDIER first uniform wasn't really cool, just hard to explain, he settled into his bed, ready to write a letter.

However, that was of course, the exact time his roommates decided to come back.

"Oh wow, Strife, we thought you were dead!" He jolted upwards, hitting his head on the top bunk, earning a few laughs.

"Thanks for the confidence…" Cloud grumbled. He really did like these squadmates of his, though. They were a lot nicer to him then the cadets ever were, partly because they were in the same boat. A lot of failed dropouts landed in the standing army, along with people who just didn't bother with SOLDIER, and luckily, Cloud hadn't bunked with the resentful ones. The rest of the army, however, weren't so nice. Just these guys.

"No but seriously, all we heard was that you disappeared in the Modeoheim fiasco. We were sure you were done for!" The tall one of the bunch, Jones, took the bunk above him.

"Yeah. And then hearing no other word except for the General going off to some town in the middle of nowhere suddenly…figured it was another Shinra coverup." Aspari, the other blonde one, though much taller and stockier, and Glenn, dark-haired, and thick-skinned, found their way to their beds too. They rarely if ever referred to each other by first name, but since they hadn't been together long, it sort of made sense. Except Glenn. He wouldn't tell anyone his last name.

"Nibelheim." Cloud sighed. At least he wouldn't have to try too hard with a cover story if no information got out.

"Huh?"

"He went to Nibelheim. My hometown." Cloud looked up at the guy sharing his bunk-bed.

"And how do you know that?" Jones asked, his arm dangling down.

"….because I was there?" He sort of shrugged, knowing where this was going.

There was silence for a minute before they all pounced on him at once with questions.

"No way."

"You mean YOU were actually there with the General?"

"What was he like?"

"Was his sword just as long as they said?"

Cloud held up his pillow in defense against all three of them. "Hey, stop it!"

They gave him a bit of breathing space before he dared to emerge from behind the pillow. "Yes, I met Sephiroth and he's actually a pretty cool guy."

Glenn's eyes bugged out. "You _talked _to him?"

"Yes? Well I got stuck alone with him because of Zack-"

"How the hell are you on a first name basis with a SOLDIER first class and the General?" Aspari questioned, finally interested in Cloud. Unlike the other two, he had less qualms about being a bit…forward with the other blonde trooper, though he wasn't nearly as bad as any cadets.

Jones however, waved a hand. "Lay off him, man. I heard that Zack Fair's like that to everyone."

"You could say that again…"Cloud muttered, vaguely remembering all the far-too-friendly bear hugs that crushed his ribs.

"Still, Sephiroth? What happened on that trip?" Looks like none of his squadmates were letting him get away with this one.

"It's classified," he said with his best Reno grin. Jones' response was to throw a pillow at him.

"Oh come on! What honestly could've happened to someone like _you _to be classified?" Aspari laughed.

_Well, fighting almost one-on-one with Genesis and discovering a dead Turk in the basement of an abandoned building would do it…_Unfortunately, he couldn't say that out loud.

"Me and Zack just got lost after uh..Angeal Hewley attacked us in Modeoheim so we had to make our way down to Nibelheim where the General was, alright?" He held his hands up. "The most exciting part of that was maybe monster hunting and talking to Sephiroth."

Hopefully they would buy that, and by name-dropping the General, they did.

"Anything cool you fight?" Glenn asked, and Cloud's hand hovered over where his summon materia was still nestled against his arm.

"There was only one thing that was really nasty, but luckily Reno-that red-haired Turk, right?-was there to help me." _Yeah, for all the good that did me. _Still, it didn't do any good to show off and he was still trying to wrap his mind around the whole business.

"Hmph. Boring." Aspari went to go shower, leaving the three of them alone. Cloud pushed himself up so he was sitting.

"It really was something, though…the General. He's really amazing." Cloud hoped the heat rising on his face wasn't actually visible. Glenn merely sighed.

"Soo jealous, kid. I'd love to just be in the same room as him…"

The rest of their evening continued like this, and when it finally came time for lights out, Cloud merely stared at the bunk above him, unable to sleep. It all felt so surreal, now that he was back among normal people. Had he really taken on the safe monster, stared down both Angeal and Genesis, had a heart to heart with Sephiroth of all people? He pushed back his sleeve and stared at the softly glowing light of the Odin materia as it bathed everything in gentle red. And then all the stuff about Jenova and Vincent and the strange green light. Sephiroth had said he'd started talking about how he'd save him and Cloud had no idea what was up with that.

_I wonder if Vincent made it here okay…_He drew his mind away from the strange Planet things by thinking about the retired Turk. Zack had told him about how the man planned on sneaking into Midgar under the plate, and if there was anyone he could trust with hiding, it was definitely Vincent.

_Still, I hope I see some of them again. _As horrifying and strange as the whole trip had been, it had also been the best week (or so) of his life and he didn't regret any of it at all. Except maybe the getting-shot-in-the-shoulder part. However, now that he was back in reality, he was terrified that maybe all of them, even Reno, would forget about him. That Zack would forget about his promise to make him SOLDIER. He slowly drifted off to sleep, holding onto the materia like it was the last thing that connected him to his new friends.

* * *

_That night his dream was stronger than normal, for he stayed wreathed in that gentle green light for longer than a minute. He concentrated, swimming through it, until he finally found what he was looking for; the girl in the flowers. _

_"Hello?" He called, not knowing if she would hear him, but at the sound of his voice, she stood up and turned around._

_"Hello again, Cloud." She smiled as warm as her voice, and he couldn't help but smile back. The Planet was all around him, drawing him in and comforting his woes. _

_"I…never got to ask who you were…" He looked down at his feet-or rather, where they were supposed to be. There was very little sense of up or down. The brown-haired girl tilted her head down until they made eye contact again. _

_"Silly, you left before I could say anything. I'm Aerith." The girl smiled again, her beautiful green eyes sparkling with light. "There, now we're all introduced."_

_He almost asked her if she was real or not, since this was after all, just a dream, but something else rose to importance. "Did I…save them?"_

_Aerith didn't answer right away, looking almost confused. "Hmm?"_

_"You said last time we spoke…something terrible would happen. But nothing bad has happened yet. So does that mean…"_

_"Oh…."She didn't seem to quite know what to say, but took his hands instead. The warmth of her skin passed onto his, like the breath of the earth. "I'm sorry, I can't really tell. But I think you did okay. So do they."_

_"They?"_

_"The voices of the Planet."She looked all around them at the everlasting green. "Are you happy?"_

_That question caught him so off guard he answered honestly._

_"I-yeah. A lot more then before."_

_"Then you did okay." She smiled and let go of his hands. He almost closed his eyes, but didn't want this dream to disappear. He still had so many things to ask….but she had already turned and was walking away. _

_"A sad fate is in store for you, Champion of the Planet." Someone spoke but it didn't sound like Aerith. The green light of the Lifestream grew blinding before Cloud woke up, crying. _

* * *

"Sooo, Boss, I'm hopin' you got my note." Reno leaned casually against the wall, finally having gotten the cuts on his face all stitched up.

"Yes, and thank you for the heads up." Tseng was at his computer, not even looking at him. "I haven't found anything, though."

"Seriously? You, the hacking expert?" He strutted around to look over Tseng's shoulder as he worked.

"No. Hojo is a very hard person to circumvent cleanly. I don't want to take any unnecessary risks." Tseng clicked once more and brought up Cloud's cadet profile, so Reno kept silent. "I looked through it several times but there are no red flags. Cloud does not seem to have any outstanding skill with weapons or materia, and his physical scores are terrible. He seems to be smart, but other then that…"

"Wait, are you serious?" Reno was staring at Tseng.

"Did I…say something wrong?" And apparently testing the Turk leader's patience.

"That no outstanding skill with materia thing has GOT to be wrong. The kid pulled out a Firaga in the heat of battle. Not to mention he took down an entire goddamn monster with swords he'd never really been trained to use." Not only once, but apparently twice, according to Zack.

It was Tseng's turn to stare at him in shock. "A firaga spell?"

"Yeah, out of a Fire2 Materia, no less. He _broke _the thing." Reno waved his hands around, trying to emphasize how weird this was. "Did he show anything while he was on that mission with you?"

The taciturn man shook his head. "No. He kept up with me pretty well, but he was just an ordinary trooper. Smart, but didn't stand out. Just like the report says."

"Well, there's nothing ordinary 'bout Cloud, I'm tellin' you that now." Reno shook his head. "You sure someone didn't tamper with the files?"

At that last comment, Tseng sat up fully in his chair. "I should've thought of that…" He began clicking furiously.

"Wait, what? Did I say somethin'?" His boss did not answer his question, which left him even more annoyed.

"I was right." Tseng tilted the screen slightly so Reno could see it. "Hojo himself accessed Strife's file before denying him candidacy in the SOLDIER program."

"Doesn't he…do that for everyone?"

"He checks all of them, but he normally doesn't bother with individual profiles unless they are of special interest to him," Tseng said. "But why he would pay attention is beyond me."

"Guessin' Creep-show didn't see him in action like I did," Reno said flippantly, highly doubting the man ever even came out of his lab at times.

"Reno." Tseng's sudden serious tone had him standing up straight.

"Yeah?"

"I suggest you not get any more involved in this case. You have carried out your mission and seen to the safety of Zack Fair and his…contingents, so there's no further need for you to stick around." Tseng rested his hands lightly on his desk, almost troubled.

_Is he worried 'bout me? _

"Reno, please." _That _got his attention, for Tseng never said please to anyone.

"What's goin' on here…" The red-head shook himself. "I'm gettin weird vibes, y'know!"

"You have done. Your. Job." Tseng said firmly, ending the conversation. Reno almost opened his mouth to say something else, but thought better about it. There really wasn't anything he could say to that and frankly, Tseng was scaring him right now. He merely shrugged and slowly walked out. After all, how was he supposed to respond?

* * *

Surprisingly enough, he saw Cloud just around an hour or so later. Stalking him for a bit, as good comrades were liable to do, the trooper seemed to be heading for the SOLDIER head office to drop in a report.

He been thinking somewhat over what Tseng had told him, and his boss did have a point; after all, Hojo had recruited him in on this escapade and told him he might end up like Vincent. All the amazing sights and sounds of the mansion-and the strange Turk's words-seemed to have made him forget that.

_Some great Turk I'm shapin' up to be…._Cloud was an interesting case, though. Seemingly ordinary at first glance, but peel back his outside and be prepared to drop all expectations. Impressing Reno was one thing, but both Zack and Sephiroth now seemed to have high opinions of him, not to mention their large winged friend. With scores like that, where exactly had this trooper come from?

_Maybe he's one a those guys who needs desperation to get better. _Cloud had said he'd never been in a real battle situation before, minus the Modeoheim skirmishes, and according to Tseng, those really didn't count.

This was just going to keep burning and burning at him if he didn't figure it out. Why was Cloud so important? And more relevant, why did Reno care? Okay, so the kid was smart, and snarky to boot-once you got him out of his shell-and was someone who finally understood what being short and surrounded by giant thugs was like and okay, Zack did call them friends….

"Hey, slick!" Before he knew it, his feet had carried him over to the small trooper. "What're you up to this side of the plate?"

Shoving his arm over in a quick move, Cloud showed him his papers. "I do have to file a special report, you know."

"Ah, bureaucracy at its finest." Now that he did notice, Cloud actually seemed almost happy to see him. "Or did you miss me already?"

"Why would I ever feel that way?" The blond trooper shot back, but never actually started walking quicker, like normally.

"I knew it! It's because you love me." Reno threw his arms around his new best friend, earning him a knee to the stomach _again. _

"Off."

They continued like this for sometime down the hallway before unfortunately, Reno had to actually go do something useful with his time.

_Sorry Tseng, but I don't think I ever really had a choice._

* * *

It was a few days before Zack's request to sponsor Cloud had gone all the way through, thanks to Shinra red tape. In that time, the first class desperately wished he could go see Aerith down in the slum church, but had to content himself with just a phone call instead. She at least seemed to be glad to know he was alright, though something seemed to be bothering her. Promising later he'd go help her out, Zack continued down to Sephiroth's office where maybe he could bring the trooper at least a little good news.

"Yo, Cissnei!" He raised his hand to wave at the bronze-haired Turk walking by. She looked up at him in surprise before greeting him back.

"Hey, Zack, how's it going?" Cissnei stopped in her tracks.

"Not much, just trying to deal with all the aftermath of that Modeoheim business, you know?" He waved his hand, laughing, in case anyone was listening to their conversation. Luckily, Cissnei knew exactly what he was doing and smiled along.

"Keeping you busy with paperwork?" She asked.

"Pretty much. I was just trying to get my request processed right now so I could go tell Cloud-you know, that little trooper-he could finally become a cadet, but you know how it works," He grumbled. "It's been what, a week?"

Cissnei reached over and patted him on the arm. "I'm sure the both of you can handle a little wait, Zack."

Zack didn't actually know if all of the Turks had the full story from Tseng or not, but he suspected the leader had at least told Cissnei some of the details, since they were, after all, friends. Still, it wasn't something he could discuss openly.

"Say, while I was gone, you didn't happen to keep tabs on Aerith, did you?" He asked in a tone that made sure she knew he still wasn't very happy about all this. Cissnei ignored that and merely nodded.

"Yes, Tseng did for the most part. He told her you were okay, though because of confidentiality, he couldn't share any information," she said carefully.

"Did she seem a little…upset, or anything?" Zack threw the question out there.

"No, I don't think so." She put a hand to her chin, thinking. "Why, is something wrong?"

"Uh, nah. Just worried, y'know?" He waved it off. Definitely no need to get the Turks involved."Anyways, I better get going so I'll catch you later."

"Okay." Cissnei looked to be leaving as well, but before she did, she grabbed Zack's arm again and drew him in close.

"I'd be careful. Not everyone is buying your story about Modeoheim." Then, as if nothing happened, she walked away. Zack stared dumbly after her, shaken.

_Wait, who? Who isn't? Hojo, or someone else? _This was getting confusing every second he kept thinking about it. As soon as he got a chance, this was going straight to Sephiroth. He definitely would know what was going on.


	13. A small word from the author

**Guys I'm really sorry I have to do this but, as you know recently, I've been having some health issues. Well, those got waaaay worse this week and I'm still trying to deal with them and as such I havent been able to concetrate on this fic at all as much as id like to. **

**so I don't know when I'll be updating again, because it may be this week, it may not be, it may be just whenever I dont feel bad, but I'm just putting it out there so people don't think ive abandoned ship. I'd really love to keep going and finish, I really would.**

**but I need to get in a better mental state and stop getting sick before i do that so again, I am sorry. In the meantime, enjoy whats there and have a good week. ~Xar **


	14. Of Dreams and Delusions

**Hi Im back sort of and again, I'm really sorry for being so late and having problems etc. I'm really grateful for everyone's support, it made me feel really happy to know people cared and I've been trying to get this stuff out so I can at least give you something in return. **

**I apologize if the quality is lower than usual, I'm still kinda out of it, but hopefully I'll get better and everything. The offer of a Beta for this thing is still open and as for the rest of it, enjoy. I'll be leaving up the previous 'chapter' at least so people know what's up but hopefully I'll try to be at least semi-regualar. ~Xar**

* * *

_I suppose he did succeed in his task, _Hojo thought as he slammed his fists into the table. That stupid, inexcusable brat! He had thought that a new Turk would be the easiest to manipulate, but apparently for once in his life, Hojo had been wrong. Reno had succeeded, oh he had _truly_ succeeded in bringing his newest specimen back…with interest.

Zack Fair now held a high interest in the trooper, along with the Turks, from what he could tell of Tseng's meddling. Not only that but his perfect SOLDIER Sephiroth was sticking his nose in! Hojo had felt the urge to tear something apart when he realized that he would no longer be able to have the boy all to himself.

_How could he outsmart me in this way? How could he entrench himself so deeply with so many important people? _Not only that, but the very Turk he'd assigned to retrieve the trooper barely left him out of his sight. And it wasn't as though Hojo could pull another Valentine out of nowhere.

_Could they have…._He did not believe their fabricated reports anymore then he believed Sephiroth saying there had been nothing in the reactor. _That boy probably didn't even go up there! _

This would not do. He was Professor Hojo, and he could not be outmatched by anyone, much less by a bunch of thugs and children. He _would _have his prize, even if some corners needed to be cut.

It was evident however, that they were lying in wait. The General, as well as his friend Angeal. _Two can play at the waiting game, and my game is much easier to acquire. _

The Reunion he had planned with Jenova's family would come to pass, and no one could stop it. Not even this possible…

* * *

"Finally!" Zack held the paper aloft in front of Sephiroth's face, who remained as impassive as ever.

"I am glad to see you are excited at the prospect of a student," The General said smoothly, removing some papers from the excitable SOLDIER's range.

"Do I detect sarcasm in your wonderful dulcet tones, General?" Zack asked, too happy about Cloud's approval coming through to care he was talking back.

"My tones are neither dulcet nor sarcastic and I suggest you leave before you make a mess of things," he said, gesturing at the door.

"Fine, fine. Don't pretend like you aren't interested either!" Zack stared him down. He'd seen the way Sephiroth had looked at Cloud, especially after the fight with Genesis. He wasn't sure whether it was respect or possibly curiosity, but the General was no longer impartial and uncaring.

_I'll make sure to keep him updated then, _he thought as he left the room. But Cloud's approval had come through surprisingly quickly despite his misgivings about Hojo. Zack had been worried that the scientist would try to interfere again, but everything seemed to be going well so far. As much as he wanted Cloud to stay far away from the creepy man, Zack knew this might actually be the safest place. With his apprenticeship to Zack, Cloud would be under more scrutiny then ever and Hojo wouldn't be able to suddenly steal him away.

At least, that's how he was hoping it would pan out. Word had already spread about the great Zack Fair sponsoring a cadet who had failed last period, a move that hadn't been made for years. _I got faith in you kid. I wanna see what you're made of…_

It was enough to keep him in a good mood despite Cissnei's warning. They could deal with that when it came up.

* * *

Cloud still couldn't tell if all of the past week had been a dream, it was so improbable. _Everything with Planet-destroying aliens, Ancients, my dad and Genesis…_it all felt so unreal now that he was firmly grounded in reality, and he had to keep clinging to his Odin summon to remind himself it was real.

Because he never unequipped it, he'd gotten around to talking to the summon in the little red stone, and Odin was surprisingly friendly. Apparently not many people took the time to even acknowledge the beings in the first place. It was a bit like speaking to the other materia like the Fire, except with actual speech. _If that makes sense…what am I, insane? _

Either way, he hadn't shown the red stone to his fellow squadmates for fear of drawing further attention. After all, a mere trooper having a ridiculously powerful-if Odin were to be believed-materia was a statistical improbability.

Seeing Reno again as he filed his final report was a blessing in disguise, as it proved none of his 'old friends' had forgotten about his existence. Unfortunately, it meant Reno was as annoying as ever, though he was being oddly friendly. Did he actually mean it this time? Cloud wouldn't deny that he sort of maybe was glad the Turk was around, he just wished he could trust him all the way.

And that he could trust Zack's promise. He'd swore he would sponsor the little trooper into the SOLDIER program, but it had been a week and Cloud still heard nothing. Could he have forgotten? Or gotten denied again? He had been secretly packing his stuff up in his bunk in hopes the word would come in and everyone in his squad could tell something was up with him.

"Yo, Strife, your head up in the clouds?" Jones knocked against his head lightly.

"Haha, very funny." Cloud pushed him off. They were supposed to all be in training right now, despite being with the program for most of the year. Shinra liked to know its troops were still brushing up on their skills.

"You still thinking about all the stuff that happened?" Jones asked, glancing down at him.

"Yes? Well…." He shrugged, clamming up. Despite all the progress with Zack, Cloud seemed to be regressing into his shell again.

"Come on Strife, that was some major shit even if you ain't spilling everything. It's no big deal you worked up about it. But what's got you so on edge that you're packing your bags?" The other trooper asked him.

Dammit, he was too observant. Then again, Cloud was not the master of subtlety, as Reno had frequently pointed out to him. But he didn't know whether to tell or not because he was fairly certain everyone would laugh at him.

"It's nothing just…something Zack told me. It's nothing."

"What, you afraid he'll never talk to you again?" Jones elbowed Cloud in the side.

"I-yeah, something like that," Cloud said sadly, even if Zack didn't seem to be the type to abandon anyone. At least, not after all they'd been through. He knew too much, anyway.

"Well, at least you got us so far!" Glenn said loudly as the other two entered the room.

"Oh, I'm so glad," he muttered and the rest of them laughed, not used to Cloud's sarcasm.

"You learned some bite, kid, lets test it out!" Apparently they were doing some hand-to-hand practice today, and Glenn was his opponent. Great. The tank who had the bulk to be a SOLDIER if he wanted.

His only advantage was the fact that regular infantrymen just learned-and practiced-the basics. If this were a real duel, as Cloud had been in with many of the cadets, he probably would have broken bones.

After a quick set up, the two got to work, Glenn attacking first, Cloud defending. Their routine didn't allow for much creativity, but as he focused on Glenn's blows, he found himself dodging more often then not, like he did with the monsters. He, unlike all the other times, actually saw them coming, though he still had no idea how to counter on his own.

Glenn himself was getting frustrated. "Man, kid, you're hard to hit!" He said loudly as they took a break in between. Cloud was breathing heavily from the workout and just nodded.

"I got a bit of practice in with…some monsters…it's easier to dodge then to block for me." He trotted over to the benches on the side to take a swig of water.

"I can see that. It's 'cause you're so little." Glenn took a playful poke at Cloud's ribs, who dodged again.

"Hey!"

"It's true, little man." Jones and Aspari had plopped down next to them, ignoring most of the other infantrymen come to practice. Cloud's group had been the first to arrive, but as they practiced, more filtered in, including the leader. It was clear that the troopers did not handle their training as seriously as the cadets, something that always got on Cloud's nerves. Then again, they didn't need to be as hardcore, as long as SOLDIER was around, right?

"Thanks for reminding me…." Cloud fed them all with a glare. Their type of teasing was mostly in good taste, but it still reminded him of his height deficit.

"You've gotten better," Aspari noted, not to be bothered with anything else. "The dodging and running away, at least."

The blonde trooper narrowed his eyes at the hidden accusation, but Glenn smoothly took over before he could say anything rude.

"He's a little snake, what can I say? You gotta get better sometime! Seriously though, Strife, that wasn't bad. Just gotta focus more on actually attacking and maybe countering, you know?" Glenn said pointing a finger at him. Cloud merely nodded and ducked away, downing the last of his water. It wasn't so much a problem with attacking, as it was that most of his opponents were bigger than him and he kept getting knocked over in his attempts to block.

_But what if I treated this like the safe monster? What if I used his momentum and size against him? _

Their squad leader shouted and Cloud set his now-empty water bottle down, ready to go up again. However, their session was interrupted by something that no one, least of all Cloud, was expecting.

"HEY, CLOUD, GUESS WHO'S GONNA BE SOLDIER!" Zack Fair's loud, booming voice echoed through the practice room as the first class burst in through the door.

Cloud froze in place, mortified. What the hell was he doing? Not one to be stopped, Zack kept going until he stopped directly in front of the small trooper, his sword nearly getting caught on the door. "Okay, so I managed to get Seph to push the paperwork through really quickly and I got it approved!"

The blonde trooper kept staring at him, as did the rest of the room. It seemed as though the SOLDIER had finally noticed the awkward silence that permeated the room, and scratched his head sheepishly.

"I…interrupted something again, didn't I?" Zack said.

"Yeah. It's called training, Zack," Cloud snapped back, annoyed. Yes, he was overjoyed that Zack had actually kept his promise and good things were gonna happen but did it have to happen in front of everyone? They were _staring _and most of them didn't like him.

"Oh, whoops. I'm really sorry about that," Zack apologized and really did sound genuine. "I just uh…had something to tell Cloud here, and I swear it will only take like a minute!"

_Yeah, and I'm sure the entire building has already heard you…._

The squad leader contemplated it for a minute then just nodded and told everyone to get back to work, even if they didn't because a first class in the same room as them. Zack however, pulled Cloud over to the corner to talk more privately.

"Wow, sorry Cloud, I really didn't mean to interrupt anything or you know…" The SOLDIER shook his head. "I've just been really excited and I figured you might be too."

"No, I am!" Cloud held up his hands, oddly feeling the need to reassure his friend, despite being annoyed at his outburst. "Just you know…not in front of everyone…remember what I said about the rest of the army not liking me much?"

"Hm? But you seemed okay with your squadmates," He said incredulously.

"They're okay. The rest of them, not so much." Cloud sighed.

"Oh. Wow. Well, sorry again, but maybe that intimidated them, you can think of it that way!" Zack laughed and clapped a hand down on Cloud's shoulder. "Come on, cheer up! Your approval came through and you're a SOLDIER cadet now! Under the tutelage of yours truly, of course."

Cloud couldn't help but smile at that last part. Zack hadn't forgotten, and he really was getting this second chance at his dream.

"I won't screw it up or let you down, I swear," He said, looking up at Zack.

"I know you won't, Cloud, just remember to be careful. Everyone's got your eyes on you, and you know, not always in a friendly way…." Zack looked sideways, and the trooper knew what he meant. There was still the deal of Hojo and covering up Angeal and Genesis' disappearance.

"Hey have you heard anything…" Cloud asked, but Zack quickly shook his head.

"Everything's normal as I can tell. Just keep your eyes open. Reno should be helping you out," Zack said. Cloud's eyes widened slightly.

"Really? Reno?"

"Yeah. He does seem to care," Zack said in a way that made Cloud think he highly doubted that statement. The trooper did not respond to that statement, rather looked thoughtful. Perhaps the Turk coming and talking to him yesterday hadn't just been an ulterior motive? Or if it was, nothing bad. At the very least, Reno had seemed furious about Hojo's attempted manipulation of him, so he at least had that going for them.

"Well, that's not quite the point here. Point is, effective of you signing this paper, you're a SOLDIER cadet, and entirely my apprentice. So what do you say?" Zack asked, grinning.

"Do you even have to ask that?" Cloud said, returning that smile. The SOLDIER's response to that was again ruffling his hair, but this time he really didn't mind. All the pent up tension and worry he'd built up for the past week was let out in one go, and he truly felt okay again. Things were working out, and it was almost enough to erase the darkness eating away at the edges of his mind.

"Do you wanna finish uh…this, before we go and get you packed up and everything?" Zack asked, jabbing his thumb back at where the other troopers were.

"That's…probably a good idea. I need to work on hand-to-hand anyway," Cloud said, heading back over to the other guys, who were looking at him curiously. Zack however, did not leave, instead following his little friend over.

"Hey, let me make up me interrupting your thing with some help, okay? Think of it like your first lesson!" Zack said excitedly, earning another mortified stare from Cloud, but the first class wasn't taking no for an answer. The blonde trooper-no, he couldn't be called that anymore-was self-conscious as he paired off again with Glenn, who was giving Zack a side eye.

"Your turn to attack, Strife," He said easily, not as intimidated by the SOLDIER. Cloud nodded, then struck out, aiming for his left side, where most fighters were weaker. Glenn easily blocked, countering back, and twisting his arm so he stumbled backwards.

"Ugh!" At least he'd caught himself that time, but…

Zack quickly stepped in. "Nice attack. Cloud, that's not how you handle an blow like that if your opponent is bigger. They're just gonna use your own size against you. Don't try to push back. You won't win. Instead, use his momentum to your advantage, okay?"

He got Glenn to hold up his guard, then demonstrated slowly, step by step, so he could get it. _That's similar to what I was thinking earlier. I should…_Cloud nodded eagerly, now that he saw it played out before him. Glenn wasn't as scary as a monster, he could do this.

"Okay." Zack stepped back. "Now let me see you do it. Remember, if he blocks, don't let him counterattack."

Cloud stepped back up, in an offensive position staring his partner down. Suddenly grinning, he struck forward at the same spot, just a little lower, to catch Glenn off balance. As the larger trooper blocked and began to push back, Cloud instead took Zack's advice and stepped with him, dodging under his arm to strike at his unprotected shoulder.

"Ow, damn, Cloud!" Glenn hopped back, a little surprised. "Nice one."

"Thanks."

"I hope you got more of where that came from, kid," Glenn said smiling, and Cloud grinned back, settling into another stance. Zack beamed, obviously proud his student was doing well already.

"Okay, you just keep practicing the normal attacks, like that and you-" he pointed at Glenn-" it seems Cloud has already noticed, but you're a little weak on the left side. I'd cover that if I were you."

Having done his duty, Zack suddenly turned and headed off to another pair, shouting something about terrible form.

Zack's sudden arrival had spurred new life into the session and Cloud never remembered a more productive time of training. The troopers all stayed until the required time, too, which was not actually that surprising, given Zack's charisma. He'd weaved around all the pairs, nudging in a foot there, and correcting another's guard, paying the most attention of course to Cloud, who seemed to be getting better even just in one go. Glenn remarked about it too.

"Man, I don't know where this motivation is coming from but maybe we were wrong about you." Cloud had gotten the jump on him a few times, though he had terrible endurance and was slipping up by the end of the session. "You must've learned something on that big trip of yours."

The blonde trooper was too busy catching his breath again to answer the question immediately. "Yeah…I think….I just needed some good experience or something…" Not to mention motivation that wasn't just him trying not to be a failure for the third or so time.

"Well whatever it is, it's working. That was pretty good. Not the best I've seen, but you've got a great teacher." Glenn again clapped his partner on the shoulder as they started packing up whatever was lying around, mostly individual supplies.

"Yeah, I do," Cloud smiled softly, reminded of Zack's encouraging words, and even Angeal. He could see just where the younger SOLDIER got it from. _I hope you're doing okay. _

"Well, I think you know already, but I'm moving up to SOLDIER, so I'd better be good," Cloud said, waving his hand, and the bigger trooper just laughed.

"Tell me about it. Well, at least you're smarter then most of them. Say, don't forget about us old folk down here. It's been pretty cool having you here," Glenn said, and Cloud looked up at him in surprise.

"R-really?" He had been under the impression that most of, if not all, aside from maybe two of the army folk absolutely hated him.

"Well, we all kind of are rejects here, and I feel for you, you looked like you had it pretty rough." Glenn seemed thoughtful for a moment, and Cloud stopped what he was doing, knowing what he was going to say next was important. "Y'know, being the runt and all. To be honest, the squad thought you were kinda well…a wimp. There wasn't much to you. But you're trying harder then most of the cadets and I have a feeling you've got more…to you."

"Okay, stop it with the sappy shit there, Glenn." Jones had come up behind the two as they were done packing up. "Cloud's gonna get all embarrassed."

Cloud merely raised an eyebrow at the two.

"What? What he said was true. And hey, think of it like this, Strife. If you, a reject, makes it through the SOLDIER program again, you'll be the inspiration for nobodies everywhere! No pressure, of course." Jones grinned again over Glenn's shoulder. "Come on. We should let him go. Don't be a stranger, got it?"

The two exited the room, giving him a wave, leaving Cloud behind, very confused. He really hadn't thought of it like that before. Him being reaccepted into the SOLDIER program was just something that affected him, but could it really inspire other people? Could he somehow be like Sephiroth-no, he was getting way, way too far ahead of himself. It was just another promise that he'd unintentionally made. Well, he was going to have to follow through for all of them.

_It's become a lot more then a childish wish, if it ever was that to begin with._

* * *

Hojo checked the records of the mission to Nibelheim, determined to find the truth to one of his most well-thought-out plans gone horribly wrong. The report clearly stated that Sephiroth and Reno had arrived at the Shinra manor and started investigating it, only to find that SOLDIER first class Zack Fair and trooper Cloud Strife had arrived to rendezvous with them. The mission then proceeded as normal to investigate the reactor, however nothing unusual, other then an attack by mutated monsters, occurred.

Complete and utter bullshit.

There was no way they could not have found Jenova in that reactor! And yet, Sephiroth seemed to show no signs of reacting to Her at all. Clearly, he had not gone to the reactor, but nothing in the research notes he left behind should've led him in that direction, except….

Hojo turned to his computer, typing in a few commands and drawing up one of his many monitoring systems. Despite it being abandoned, he still kept up surveillance, as it was being used for his own personal project, as well as the hiding place for another of his failures: that Turk, Valentine. According to the sensors…

"What?!" He nearly screeched. The Turk had vanished! Not only that, but the safe in the top floor had been opened, his Lost Number utterly destroyed, and the coffin emptied. "No! If he had told that brat his story-"

It all made much too much sense now. The only one to persuade his perfect SOLDIER from reuniting with his true Mother had been awakened. _I thought that man was too wrapped up in his own guilt to even move from his tomb! _

"You imbecile! I should have finished you off when you were dying the first time!" His fingers tightly wound together, Hojo fought quickly to hold in his emotions, fueling the energy instead into making plans. No, it wouldn't do to just yell and scream at a computer screen when there was no one around to intimidate. It was time to make them pay.

_As for that Turk boy…_No doubt it had been him who discovered his failure's tomb; there would be no little amount of perfect irony in that fact. Unfortunately, it resulted in Tseng, and possibly even Veld knowing of their legend's true fate. Reno, Hojo decided, had suddenly become a lot more dangerous. _Even though he apparently can't be trusted with any little task of mine, I can still use him…_

He would have to be patient to wait for his true prize. Something deep in his intuition told him that his newest specimen would help him with his theories on Jenova and the Reunion. For this, his golden prize, he could wait, and be more….subtle.

* * *

Reno was flopped down on the couch, somewhat aways from his partner, who was drinking something mysterious from a cup. Probably alcohol, though the red-head had never actually seen the man drunk.

"Man, why do I have to keep an eye on Cloud? Cissnei taggin' Zack I get cause they're all chummy, but me? Seriously?" He complained, dramatically stretching out. It was somewhat of an order from Tseng, as he'd seen Reno's refusal to not get involved. This way, despite his outward appearance of not caring, Tseng would be the most informed of any of them.

"Implying you weren't going to already," was Rude's curt reply.

"That cut deep, man. Real deep." He lay an arm over his eyes. His partner was right, though. There was no way in hell he was going to let this go now, and he had no idea what was drawing him in so much. Reno had always loved mysteries, and his curiosity got him into trouble too many times to count-but why Cloud?

_It's like…he has this weird charisma that draws people to him. Not to make them like him, but to make them notice he exists. _And sadly, it was working really well. Did he really…like him?

Well, he was a lot less worse then most Shinra folks. Smart as a Turk to boot, despite the attitude.

"You're quite similar," Rude said, almost as if reading his thoughts. Then again, they were so in sync that sometimes Reno thought it _did _happen.

"Man, don't insult me like that by comparin' me to that trooper." The red-head raised himself up to glare over at the bigger man.

"Not a trooper."

"Right, right, he's a SOLDIER now, yo…" He waved his hand vaguely and settled back on the couch. What to do, what to do…there was no way that Hojo had forgotten about him, though Reno had done his best at avoiding the guy. Then again, he could rely on Rude to help if something bad happened, couldn't he? That's just how the Turks worked.

An icy knot settled in his stomach when he remembered that hadn't helped Vincent at all. _No, I can't keep thinkin' like that. It ain't like me. _

"Yo Rude."

The taciturn man turned towards him slightly, acknowledging the question.

"If something…happened, you'd come and help me, right?" It took every single ounce of energy he had to not have his voice crack.

"We are Turks."

"Man, what kind of lame-ass answer is that?" He sat up fully, staring straight at Rude.

"Is there a particular reason you are asking now?" Rude asked. Right. Only Tseng actually knew about the whole deal with Creep-show.

"Nah, not really. Just some freaky shit went down with you-know-what." Reno waved it away, hoping that Rude took it for the news about Vincent Valentine, not anything else. It probably hadn't worked, but hey, a man could hope.

Reno instead dedicated his energy into dozing off on the couch, missing his partner standing up and walking to another room to make a few calls.

* * *

Zack had laughed at the way Cloud already had all of his stuff packed already, but helped him carry it to the barracks anyway, despite the fact that it was very little stuff. When asked, Cloud merely shrugged and replied it was because he travelled light. And he didn't have friends or a sweetheart to receive gifts from. His mom could barely afford keeping her house, much less giving him anything that likened to a present.

Either way, they had made it to the SOLDIER barracks without any fuss, only passing by a couple personnel who all looked at him funny. Could this be what Zack had meant when he was under even bigger scrutiny?

Really, it was probably because Zack attracted so much attention. He really didn't know the meaning of the word subtle.

Now they had arrived outside of the door where he was to be bunking for the next month or so until the testing process started.

"Okay Cloud, so you missed out on a lot of training the other guys did, so we'll have to work really hard to make up for that, okay?" Zack said, setting down Cloud's bag right by his feet. The blonde cadet-how he loved that word-nodded, taking another deep breath.

"Don't worry, you can do it! You'll catch up in no time, just remember my advice. Don't back down, and don't let them get to you. And if you need any help, just ask me or Sephiroth," he continued, noting his friend's nerves.

"Would the General really help me?" The question sort of slipped out, since it was still hard for him to believe that Sephiroth of all people noticed his existence. Zack merely snorted, elbowing Cloud in the ribs.

"Sure. He's difficult about it, but he secretly cares. He personally signed my request to sponsor, I should THINK he's interested."

Cloud smiled weakly, still slightly disbelieving. Then again, the General had apologized to him, and seemed curious about his skills, and there was that weird event in the manor. It still freaked him out to think of it. Sephiroth was Sephiroth, and it was going to take a lot of time to get over that fact.

"Well thanks, anyway, but I'd like to think I can handle it by myself," He said softly. After all, if he couldn't deal with some bullies, what kind of SOLDIER would he make?

"I know. Just, the options there. You know I like to worry."

"No need to get all mother chocobo on me," Cloud said, cracking a real smile, to which Zack responded by putting the cadet in a headlock.

"Just for that, our first training session is extra hard!" The SOLDIER ruffled his hair for the last time, and settled him down in front of the door. "Okay, gotta go but you know what to do. Don't kill anyone too much!"

With a jaunty wave, Zack was off down the hallway, probably late for some appointment, or to meet with that girl he'd vaguely mentioned he was seeing below the plate. Cloud on the other hand, was back here in the best and worst place in the world.

_Time for my second chance, _he thought, and reached over to the doorknob.

* * *

By the time Reno had woken up, Rude had disappeared from their apartment, probably on duty somewhere. The man never missed a beat, ever. Yawning, he sat up, combing his hair back from his head. The goggles he normally wore were on the table next to him, leaving most of the red locks to fall down in his face.

_Hmm, maybe I should grow out a ponytail like I've always said I would. It can't hurt any. _His random thoughts about his hair were drowned out by a weird scuffling at the door. Reno blinked. He certainly wasn't expecting any visitors today, unless it was another of those idiots trying to play a prank on him. Which was stupid because he still hadn't gotten some of the other Turks back for theirs yet.

Fingering the knife that he kept hidden in his sleeve, he nonchalantly slid over to the door, opening it.

"Look, man, could you keep it quiet? Some of us are trying to slee-" He broke off in a yell as he saw who it was outside.

"I see you're just as attentive to your duties as always," Professor Creep-show said, looming suddenly forward.

"_The hell, yo? _What're you doin' here?!" Only the knowledge this was the head of the Science Department kept him from drawing his weapon right then and there. It didn't stop him from backing away several inches.

"To ask _you _why you could fail such a simple task of bringing that boy back to Shinra!" Hojo spat, thankfully staying in the doorway. "Useless, I say, just useless."

"Hey, he came back. I don't see how that's failin'. Now leave me the hell alone, you…" He bit that last sentence off. _Fuck, me an' my big mouth gettin' me in trouble again._

Hojo seemed to not care about anything he said. Knowing the arrogance of that man, he probably really didn't.

"Come with me. We have a lot to discuss," The scientist said curtly.

"And if I don't?"

Reno knew from the look of Hojo's smile, he didn't even have to answer that one.


	15. A Demon in the Slums

**Hi and back again, sorry if this chapter is wonky too, I'm still kinda sick and I'm not sure how much of the English language I can comphrehend. Anyway, things are starting to get more involved. its hard to keep track of so many peoples. Apologies in advance for being terrible at writing stuff with swords, and enjoy. I hope everyone had a good Halloween and such since i was not around to say that much last time. ~Xar**

* * *

There were a whole host of urban legends underneath the plate from ghost stories to superstitions, but this one was stranger then the most. It wasn't quite a legend, but a feeling many people got as they were walking through the various trash-filled alleys. They described it almost as if a creeping shadow was following them around and listening to every word they said. Some of the more daring ones said if you looked over you shoulder quickly enough, you could spot a pair of glowing red eyes.

However, it never seemed to harm anyone so most of the slum folk passed it off as a mere premonition, or perhaps the imagination of children gone a bit too far. Or maybe there really was a monster lurking in the shadows, feeding off the lonely dreams and thoughts of passerby. Either way, it passed with merely a shudder of the shoulders and a soft sound of fabric.

The shadow continued to linger on in the slums, dropping by whenever it heard people talking and everyone began to talk in huddles and peering behind them, afraid of something they couldn't see. But if anyone had actually bothered to look, they would see it vanish away in a flash of red and gold.

* * *

It took an entire week before Cloud decided he absolutely loathed almost every single one of the other cadets. He really didn't know why he expected anything different: perhaps being sponsored and having a second chance would've softened their anger but if anything, it had just made it worse. Like Zack had said, plenty of the new cadets, especially ones retrying for the next test, were jealous of his special attention.

"Didn't we hear about you, Strife? The pansy who couldn't even make it in last time? Why should you be the one to get all the extra attention?" Was a basic summary of what they said to him. Not in exact words of course, but that required more attention than he was willing to give to them.

Probably only the knowledge that he was friends with Zack Fair and Reno held them fully back from beating down on him like they did last year.

_Seriously, what about me pisses them off so much? _Cloud asked himself as he resolutely scrubbed his hair dry with a towel. After a shower, it always stuck up in odd angles and shapes and combing just made it worse. _I can't believe me being sponsored by Zack would generate this much attention. _

He knew it wasn't all of that, really. He was still the runt of the crew and they were just jealous.

Slowly, he peeked into the room and saw that no one was there, deeming it was safe to come out. Cloud settled into the bed gratefully, every muscle in his body aching. The training they did before the tests was mostly to get them ready: heavy conditioning, training with swords and hand-to-hand, as well as introduction to materia, which was tomorrow. Oh, how he was looking forward to that one. It would be nice to show them up at least once.

Since he was sponsored by Zack, instead of normal sword lessons, he took those with the first class instead, who wasn't afraid to push him around. True to his word, he gave Cloud a broadsword to use and he seemed to be doing pretty okay for a beginner. It was awkward to get used to the extra weight and most of their first lessons were just practice with balance and footwork, but by the end of this week, Cloud was feeling more confidence in the one day he had to take with the other normal cadets.

He had a feeling that seeing the first-class regularly was the only thing keeping him sane, as there were no signs of any of his other friends. The only one he'd be able to talk to was Reno, who had been mysteriously scarce for the rest of the week, despite his promise to keep an eye out for Hojo. He visibly shuddered just thinking about that man, but it was something he'd have to face if he was ever to become SOLDIER. This was to become stronger for Zack and his friends.

His hand flopped down off the bunk and hit something hard and book-like. It was, in fact, a book. Cloud wrapped his fingers around it and lifted it up to find it was the same tome Sephiroth had given him with notes from his father. _Right, I'd never got a chance to study this for real…_With the shock of Genesis and Jenova, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the strange things found in the manor. The cadet flipped open to one of his favorite stories, the tale of Three Brothers, the one that had inspired LOVELESS. Cloud vaguely wondered if Genesis knew about this, but doubted so; he himself only knew because of his dad's notes on the original poem.

_Still, what significance does LOVELESS and these things have to do with the Cetra? _Cloud skimmed through the pages to the back of the book, where he stopped suddenly. The picture on the opposing page was all black and gold, with glowing fire-red eyes. The way its wings spread out resembled…

"The Demon born of Chaos and Sin." Cloud whispered the words out in the caption on the picture. Wait a minute. Chaos? Wasn't that what…

"Wasn't that what Vincent called that thing inside of him?" He eagerly flipped to the next page. It detailed another story, how this demon was born of the bubbling chaos that existed in all humans and was fated to destroy them all. That is, until it was bound to another human who controlled it with a special magic power. _This is way too close to be a coincidence._

He checked to see if his father had made any notes but was interrupted by the rest of the cadets. Not being lazy and not having any friends, Cloud always made it to the bunker first-plus it gave him some good free time. Quickly, he shoved the book under the thin mattress on his bed so they wouldn't find it and started playing with his sword.

Zack had insisted that he keep it with him at all times to get used to the weight and having it around, plus, it was a good deterrent for being messed with.

None of the others said anything as they passed by him other than a few rude bumps or shuffles, which he ignored. The cadets stayed here for a lot shorter time period, so there were about twelve to a room instead of just four, unfortunately. As they settled in all around him, being as loud as humanly possible, Cloud secretly entertained thoughts about summoning up a Firaga spell and watching them scream and run around in materia practice tomorrow.

"Oh shut up, I totally owned you in practice!" A few of them on the other bunks arrived in the middle of a conversation.

"Yeah, if you call that swordplay. That's more like cheating, dumbass." Fletcher, the biggest and nastiest of the bunch and the only one whom Cloud had bother learning the name of, mostly because he liked to try and shove him down a flight of stairs. He'd only succeeded once in that act, making Cloud wish he had a Cure materia to heal the bruises that Zack would no doubt question.

_I'll get him back for that one._

The blonde cadet highly doubted either of them had 'owned' each other because they relied on knocking around their strength more than anything, though Fletcher certainly was big enough for it to become effective.

The big guy had noticed him staring. "You got something you want to say, you little runt?!"

Cloud resisted the urge to say something extremely rude back at him, knowing how well that worked with him and Genesis, and merely stared blankly back at Fletcher. This seemed to unnerve him, seeing how he made a special show of coming over and shoving Cloud back onto his bed.

"Little kids who can't even spend time with the rest of us don't get to make comments," He said rudely, getting his cronies to laugh.

"What are you, like twelve?" Cloud snarled back before he could stop himself.

That got him and his buddies riled up and the blonde cadet took one look at them and forced his hurting legs to run, shoving his little storybook inside his pants pocket. There was no way he was staying around after that, they'd probably murder him or something.

* * *

He had planned on wandering around in the hallways until it was time for him to go train with Zack, but he hadn't planned on running into the man himself. Cloud turned the corner and nearly ran straight into his chest, startling the first class.

"Oh, Cloud hey there! How's it going?" Zack looked surprised for a moment then smiled widely at his newfound student. "I thought our meeting wasn't for another hour or so?"

His mentor had such a puppy face on that Cloud almost spilled about how terribly the others were treating him, but that was an issue the blonde cadet was going to deal with on his own.

"It's nothing, roomates were just being loud and stupid so I came out here instead," Cloud said nonchalantly. This was actually a blessing in disguise. Not only could he hang out with Zack some more, but also ask him about the strange things he read about in the book.

"Haha, I feel you man. Some of the cadets can be pretty lame. Just hang in there, you know. Soon you'll blow them all out of the water!" Zack laughed easily, slinging an arm around him and leading him down a hallway until they found a windowsill to sit on.

"Do you have anywhere to be?" Cloud asked him. It was weird how Zack had always managed to find time for him even if it was just randomly meeting him in the hallway. Did he really have free time or was he blowing off other stuff? Or was this a thing friends did?

"No? I mean, I got my session with you in an hour, don't I? Something wrong?" Zack's eyes looked down at him in concern and Cloud immediately scrunched up in his seat. He didn't want to complain at all about the other cadets. It really wasn't in good taste.

"Well, I was reading more of that book I found," the cadet said quickly, changing the subject. "And I found this odd part talking about something called a demon of chaos."

"Wait, Chaos? As in, you-know-who?" Zack waved his hand around in a circle and immediately lowered his voice. Cloud nodded, knowing what he was going for.

"Yeah. And it matched up really well with what we were told. And there's this picture…" He pulled the book out of his pocket, grateful that he'd thought to bring it with him and flopped it open to the page with the picture of the demon. Zack let out a quick breath, his eyes widening.

"Holy Minerva, that looks just like him!" He hissed.

Cloud merely stared at him.

"In the reactor-"The first class's voice dropped really low-"When that stuff I told you about happened, that's what it looked like, except…"

Cloud didn't know quite what Zack was going for but being bound to Vincent, he figured the creature would probably look somewhat different. This just confirmed his suspicions that the being, Chaos, the one he had spoken briefly to, had been mentioned in his book.

"But why would it be in a story book? I mean I know he's old but he's not that old! Check the publication date," Zack ordered, trying to get another peek. Unwilling to let anyone else touch it, he merely shifted the book away and turned to the front cover.

"Wow, it's like over 50 years old," he said, reading the small text.

"So that book was around _before _he uhhh, got stuck there?" Zack asked, boggled.

"Yeah. That means this story isn't based on him. Then again, Chaos seemed a lot older than 20 years." Cloud tugged at a few strands of his hair. What exactly did this mean, if there was a legend of a monster that Vincent was possessed with, before the man had ever been in the Turk program? If their estimate of his age was correct, of course.

"What does it say about the legend?" Zack asked the same question he was thinking.

"Just that Chaos is a demon born of well, chaos and human sin, and he is made to destroy all of humanity in the name of the Planet, had it not been for the fact he'd been bound to a human soul. A human soul with the power to tame him," Cloud said.

"You know, it would help if that guy actually opened up and told us what happened so we could figure it out…" Zack grumbled, clearly lamenting Vincent's lack of social skills.

"Do you have any way of contacting him to tell him of this?" He looked up at the first class, who still had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Not me, but Sephiroth does. I'll tell him to relay a message somehow. I think he should know about this." Zack stood up, in serious mode for once. "And we need to find a better place to talk. Out in the open like this, who knows who is listening."

Cloud sighed and nodded slowly. He knew it was probably a mistake bringing it up, but the mystery was eating away at him inside. "Sorry. Didn't know who else to tell."

Zack waved his worries away. "No, no, it's not your fault just, you know…."

"The walls have ears."

"Yeah…"

Neither of them liked where this was going, and it just brought up more questions than answers. Stuck in the middle of Shinra HQ, they didn't have the freedom to discuss their problems openly. It was something that had to be resolved soon, or their plan wasn't going to work.

"Hey, since you're here, and I'm here, why don't we head down to the training room and get an early start?" Zack said, suddenly smiling again, probably trying to lift Cloud's spirits.

"Yeah, that'd be great, but I left my sword back at the bunk and I don't really want to go back in there to get it…" Cloud said uncomfortably.

"No problem, we can just borrow one from storage, since you weren't expecting it." Zack bounced up and down a little bit. "Hey, hey, I hear that every Saturday your sword-training sessions don't get taken over by me and you get to go in with the normal kids!"

"Yes…" Which is exactly what Cloud was dreading because the normal kids were the ones who liked beating him into a pulp.

"We train extra hard, and you can beat the crap out of them that day so then they'll leave you alone!" Zack pumped his fist in the air, while Cloud just stared up at him.

"How did you know?" He was baffled.

"Cloud, I'm not dumb. I know what you said happened last time. And its clearly happening again. And I know, you're too proud and you want to deal with it on your own, but you really don't understand how friends work." Zack's friendly aura was enveloping him again, making him feel terrible for leaving out information. "They protect each other. So I'm gonna help you."

"I…" Cloud really couldn't say anything to that but horrifyingly felt the sting of tears in his eyes. What was that about, that was terrible! He couldn't cry, especially not in front of Zack! Hurriedly blinking everything away, and swallowing the growing pain in his throat, he focused on looking at a point around his friends shoulder.

"Okay," He said finally, and thankfully his voice didn't crack. "I want to beat them up."

Zack smiled again, which seemed to light up the whole world. "Great, just what I wanna hear! Let's mosey!"

* * *

After gathering a spare broadsword and kicking an unfortunate second class out of one of the training rooms, Zack and Cloud got to work.

"Okay, at the level you're at in cadet training, you guys are still learning basic moves and drills rather than free-form dueling, if I recall correctly." Zack thought for a moment, then shrugged.

_I would think that kind of information would be important! _Except Cloud didn't say that out loud, just let him keep going.

"You've already shown signs of being good at improvising movements based on how monsters act, but humans are a bit different. They're smarter," Zack said, settling himself into an easy stance. Cloud merely raised an eyebrow.

"That last sentence is debatable," He replied dryly.

Zack immediately burst out laughing and had to take a few moments to recover himself.

"I'm just…oh man, that was a good one!" He said, still attempting to compose his breathing. "Yeah, you're absolutely right. But lets just assume all of your opponents are smarter than the average goblin, okay?"

Cloud nodded, still grinning, and both of them broke off into laughter again before they could get anything useful done.

"Okay, okay, we really need to focus…" He said through his deep breaths. A minute or so later, and Cloud and Zack were ready to go.

"Okay, just come at me. I want to see how well you do just sparring, okay? Then we'll go over the drills you're going to need," Zack said, raising his own broadsword in defense. Cloud swallowed nervously for a little bit, never actually having fought another person with a sword in more than drills before, but did as he said.

He lunged out at the first class, who parried his blade easily. Leaping back, he briefly wondered if Zack's advice during hand-to-hand would help him out, but didn't get any more chance to think before Zack attacked. He was thankful the first class wasn't using his full strength, but he had a hard time dodging Zack's swipes until he learned to read which direction he was striking from the angle of his body.

His blows were slow and steady, so after Zack's sword whistled over his head, Cloud lashed out horizontally at the first class's ribcage. The SOLDIER leaped back a little bit, bringing his sword back to counterattack, using his sword to barely block in time. He would've used his arm as a brace, but he didn't have the armored gauntlets like SOLDIERs did and it was knocked away easily.

"Nice job so far," Zack said, flicking his sword away from Cloud's neck, "But why didn't you block that last blow?"

"I did, I just don't have anything on my wrists." He held them up to show the red line where he tried to brace the sword. Zack smacked a hand on his head.

"Dammit, I'm sorry, I forgot they don't give cadets proper equipment. Really sorry…" Zack looked horribly apologetic.

"No, it's fine. It's not your fault, really," Cloud reassured him. "We'll get there eventually."

"I'm still sorry, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. We can just keep going," the blonde cadet said, somewhat annoyed with Zack's insistence on making sure he was unhurt.

"Okay…well, you seem to have gotten down that you can see what way an opponent is attacking by watching their body, but what's more important too is watching their feet. Let's spar again, you do what feels natural, but this time, watch my feet to see which way to go." Zack prepared himself again for attack.

Cloud did so, ducking around his sword and striking in closer, trying to keep his eyes on his feet to see which way his sword would go. It worked for the first couple blows and Cloud was able to block, but he made a rookie mistake: he paid too much attention to his feet and as a reward, got whacked on the side of the head.

"Ow!" He jumped away, bringing his left hand up to massage the spot.

"Jeez Cloud, you don't stare at them the entire fight! You okay?" Zack asked, concerned. The cadet merely nodded, inwardly berating himself. There were so many things to be aware of that he couldn't focus on any of them and lost his concentration. It was overwhelming, having to pay attention to so many things at once.

"Okay, if you say so. The trick is to train yourself to notice it all at once so you can do it without thinking. So its ingrained in your brain, you see?" Zack poked at his head, trying to make Cloud feel better.

"How'd you learn to do it?" He asked, sort of curious. Zack seemed like a flawless swordsman.

"Very, very painfully. Angeal wasn't very…gentle, I should say." He grinned sheepishly. "Come on, lets keep trying for a little bit longer and then we can just review and be done, okay?"

The cadet nodded again, sort of wishing Zack wouldn't go easy on him. Then again, he really didn't need the added injuries and the welt on his face still stung. Cloud steadied his grip on his broadsword, which was starting to feel like it weighed a ton, his already tired arm muscles protesting, and then stepped out to attack again.

For someone who had so little training with a sword, he supposed he was doing pretty well against a first class soldier. Still, he was frustrated. His sword didn't reach out far enough, his arms being too short and he lacked the endurance to keep up more than a few blows at once. He had long ago switched to the strategy of dodging, only blocking when Zack's sword got too close. His mentor was swinging slow enough that he could see the blows coming, but Cloud was so short he kept staring at his arms and neck, letting him get knocked over by an easy kick from the SOLDIER.

"Okay, okay, that's enough." Zack held up a hand as Cloud scrambled up again. The blonde was breathing heavily, beads of sweat dropping down his face, and his arm muscles were trembling from holding the broadsword upright for so long. Not complaining for right now, he merely stumbled over to the side and collapsed on a bench.

_I don't think I've gotten stronger at all…_he thought, dejected. Sure, today would only make it the second week, but Cloud couldn't see any improvement from last year. In fact, he just felt even more tired and weaker. The bench shook slightly as Zack came and flopped down next to him. The larger man-teen?-was barely even breaking a sweat, something he was very envious of.

"Don't look so depressed, you're doing really well so far," Zack said, smiling easily, once again hitting the nail on the head. Cloud had always known his friend was smarter than he let on but he'd forgotten just how perceptive Zack could be, especially when it came to emotions.

"You say that, but I can't see it at all.." He said, holding up a trembling hand. "I mean, all we've been doing is just drills and random sparring."

Cloud thought Zack might get angry at him for complaining like this, but instead he looked thoughtful.

"Well, " the first class said, turning towards his student, "In the beginning, that's all you're supposed to do. Boring, dull, drone work. It's the basics."

"Think of it like this," Zack continued. "You can have all the amazing flashy moves and skills of the highest first class SOLDIER there is, but you'll lose every single fight with a sword if you don't know how to defend yourself. It's boring, it's stupid, and it's necessary."

"I…yeah, sorry…"he muttered, staring at the floor. It wasn't that he was doubting Zack's method, just he didn't feel like it was doing any good. "Am I…doing any better? At all?"

"You kidding me? For someone who had no previous training with a sword, you're doing great! Seriously, like I said before, you're a natural, and not many of those cadets could pull off what you did to that monster that attacked us," Zack said agreeably.

"Then why do I feel so terrible at everything right now?" He asked. He beat the crap out of the safe monster. This should be easy.

"Because real-time battles and training are two completely different situations. You never had time to think about what you were about to do against that monster. You just did it, and those are the moments you're at your best." Zack suddenly grabbed onto Cloud's hair in what was probably supposed to be an affectionate way. "You keep overthinking everything when you're fighting against me."

"Ow, ow, stop that!" He pulled away from Zack's assault on his spikes, but it had worked. He was smiling now and definitely feeling less like a freak.

"Doesn't help when you say look at your feet, then look at your sword at the same time," Cloud said, trying to tease his friend back. He immediately regretted saying that when he saw a flash of uncertainty and fear cover Zack's face, though it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Use your peripheral vision, you idiot!" The older first class nudged at Cloud, who, knowing how affectionate his mentor was, moved away quickly.

"Right, easy for you to say when a sword is flying at your head." The cadet flexed his fingers. His muscles seemed to have calmed down for now, though they were still feeling a bit noodle-like. The broadsword was great and he liked it more than using those small ones Zack had got him, but at the same time, he missed the speed and versatility of the double swords. If there was only a way he could combine the two…

"Hey Zack, is it possible to dual-wield broadswords?" He asked suddenly.

Zack just stared at him in return. "Cloud, you're not seriously thinking-"

"Uhhh, no. Reno just had mentioned it at one point," He lied quickly, throwing his friend under the bus. After all, it did sound like something Reno _would _come up with.

"Well I suppose you could but it would take a load of training and I wouldn't recommend it at all until you got enhancements. Like wielding a buster sword," Zack said, still staring at him suspiciously. Cloud's willpower crumbled under his friends gaze and he figured he'd have to do something else. _Except maybe if I become a real SOLDIER, i can do that. _It sounded like an idea crazy enough to intimidate anyone.

"Wait, speaking of Reno, have you seen him around?" Cloud asked, a little surprised the red-head hadn't bothered him recently. He could be on duty, but with Tseng and the Turks working with them the best they could, he figured that Reno would at least say _something. _

"Actually, no. I haven't. Which is kinda weird because I heard from Cissnei he was supposed to stick around you…"Zack tapped his chin with his finger. "Okay, that's something else I'll go ask about, okay?"

"Yeah." Cloud did not want to admit it on any level but he was definitely worried for the red-headed Turk, especially with Hojo on the loose. His overactive imagination kicked in and-no, he wasn't going to go there. Reno would definitely just show up a day later, mocking him for even caring.

"Can we go over the normal drills a few times before we pack up?" He asked hurriedly, trying to distract both of them.

"Yeah, of course. We still got some time left." Both of them stood, done with resting and made their way over to the floor, preparing for the next attack.

* * *

Zack nearly drove Cloud into the ground going over the drills-man, for holding back, he hit HARD-before he had to leave and inform Sephiroth of their new information. After telling him to keep an eye out, the first class vanished, leaving Cloud to his own thoughts. He knew he should head back to the barracks and see if he could again slip in before anyone noticed him-not quite likely, as he had practice after them-but wanting to put off the inevitable, Cloud took to wandering the hallways instead.

He'd met several very interesting people along the way and it was a great way to pick up spare bits of information he wouldn't hear anywhere else. So far he'd seen several seconds and thirds, a couple of Turks he didn't recognize, Zack himself, and a very harried looking man who, when later described to said SOLDIER, was introduced to him as a certain Reeve Tuesti.

Today however, was nearing a weekend, and the hallways were more bare than usual, with only a few business-looking people giving him a couple odd stares as he went by. _Seriously, its not MY fault my hair attracts so much attention…_Because that was clearly the reason everyone was staring at him.

That's why it was strange when Cloud saw a Turk that looked vaguely familiar walking towards his direction. He was even taller than Tseng, with a shaved head and dark, reflective sunglasses. The man had a calm and dangerous air about him, but despite his size, did not seem to be that intimidating. Perhaps he was off duty, then.

Despite meeting Reno for the first time in Nibelheim, he _had _heard of the Turk before, and if he recalled correctly, Reno had a partner, Rude. And this man right here matched the description. He couldn't be sure, as he hadn't talked to Reno for much more than the mission, but he remember the red-head vaguely mentioning him at times. And if they were partners…

"Uh, excuse me." Cloud had no idea what he was doing, but the Turk didn't seem out to kill him. The man turned slightly towards him, but said nothing. It was unnerving, not being able to see his eyes, but Cloud continued on.

"I….you are Reno's partner, aren't you?" He asked.

The man-Rude-nodded.

"Oh. Okay. I'm Cloud Strife and well…I haven't seen Reno around for awhile and I don't know if anything happened to him or not," Cloud said quickly. This was really, really awkward, and he didn't know how much Rude knew about what had gone on in Nibelheim. How did partners in the Turks work anyway?

That seemed to be news for the larger man, as his arms shifted slightly away from their controlled position. And he spoke for the first time. "You haven't?"

"Uh, no. And I was under the impression he was also keeping…" Cloud looked around the hallway, "tabs on me?" At least, that was another thing Zack had mentioned.

Rude did not say anything, but he still stayed frozen in that position, long enough to make Cloud uncomfortable. Sure, Vincent hadn't really talked much, but that was mostly because Cloud couldn't see him.

"I was just, wondering. Sorry. I'll go now," He finished awkwardly, pointing the other direction.

"Thank you," The Turk said before the cadet turned around, earning him a surprised glance. "I will look for him."

With that, and a brisk motion, Rude vanished down the hallway, leaving Cloud's mood in an even worse shape than before. If his own partner didn't know where Reno was, then where had he gone?

Suddenly, Cloud didn't want to be wandering around in the middle of the open anymore.

* * *

There were rumors of AVALANCHE gravitating all around the slums, but each person seemed to have a different story. A whisper here, a soft exchange of words elsewhere, all leading its way back to one shadow who listened in the dark.

The consensus, it seemed, was that AVALANCHE was going through some sort of change of leaders, or at least it was highly contested. Vincent had heard from another man down in Sector 3 that Rufus Shinra was involved with them, which made a surprising amount of sense, if Shinra's son was just as power-hungry as his father was.

The more disturbing fact was when two people gossiping behind a scrapyard had made mention of Veld, his old partner. AVALANCHE was not around in Vincent's time and he did not know much of their origins or schemes, nor did he care, but Veld…what would Veld be doing involved with a terrorist group?

Time had travelled too quickly while he had been in the coffin, and every single piece of conversation he picked up was evidence of this. The scraps of new technology and weapons he saw filtering around, the mention of the Wutaiian War-though that had probably been inevitable-even the manners in which everyone spoke were different. Vincent felt lost, and it was a sensation he loathed. He was after all, a former Turk. Even a monster such as he was, it was no reason to be this sloppy in his job.

Unfortunately, the slums did not seem a very good place to gather information. While there was less security-he'd only seen one or two wandering troopers so far-most of the information people passed along was rumor at best. Instead, he used the time to catch up on current events and explore the slums. In this mission, Vincent had discovered two things: a man called Don Corneo could be connected to Shinra in some way and probably had a ton of information the former Turk wanted, but where he'd set up base was the loudest and flashiest part of Wall Market, and despite any measure of stealth, Vincent would have to reveal himself to break in there.

The second thing was a very strange church in the Sector 5 slums, where he was headed now. It was said by many people that that church was the only place flowers grew, tended by a girl who lived there. It wasn't so much the flowers that drew Vincent, but a strange whispering in his mind he sure was Chaos again. The other three monsters that took up residence normally didn't wake unless he was emotional-which was never-or ready to battle-so it couldn't have been anyone else. He knew from experience that Chaos, however bloodthirsty and wild he was, was attracted to the Planet and Lifestream and this was the only place in the slums that seemed alive.

A few pieces of sunlight drifted gently down to illuminate the wooden rafters of the church, as a strange, soft breeze flowed by, whipping his cape around. Yes, this was what he had felt…in his dreams, his nightmares, he'd often dreamed of the Lifestream and it too was radiating from this building.

Making no noise, Vincent slowly walked forward, his golden fingers curling around the edges of the door and pushing it open. A draft of air blew out, scented by a faint smell of flowers. _How odd…_

Could he get any answers about his condition here? Or for that matter, Cloud's or Sephiroth's? He did not trust any paper written by that mad scientist to tell him facts.

He was not alone.

His opening the door had disturbed a brown-haired girl standing over the flowers. She quickly turned around and stared at him curiously, and Vincent wondered why he did not just vanish. This church, it seemed, felt safe to him.

"Hello, my name is Aerith," she said, smiling. "And who might you be?"

* * *

This Friday was special, because this Friday, after their normal exercises and conditioning, they got to do materia testing for the first time. Or, if you were a former dropout like Cloud, second time. It was normally a session of chaos and high frustration, combined with things occasionally randomly exploding, though Cloud was trying to avoid that this time. His plan was to show the other cadets up, but not by _that _much. He certainly didn't need a repeat of the safe monster battle.

Every single muscle in his body still hurt because of Zack's training and all the exercises required and for a moment, he wasn't sure if he could get up. The other cadets yelling at each other, though was motivation enough for him. He certainly wasn't going to get left behind. Cloud forced himself up and moving, getting blood flowing through his dead limbs. Every movement was painful, but it was the good type of pain. The type that told him he was going to be strong. After of course, he turned into a pile of noodles on the floor.

The morning was uneventful, if less harrowing than usual, since materia required physical energy and they didn't want to exhaust the cadets too much so they wouldn't be able to cast-Cloud didn't know if that worked for him. Being in a solid week of muscle pain did that to a person.

There were the customary threats and bets being placed, and as much as Cloud shrunk down to avoid the others, they still found him.

"Hey, I wanna see what the little chocobo here can do," Fletcher said nastily, pulling up next to him in the hallway. Clearly, he had thought for several minutes to come up with that insult. The blonde cadet merely attempted to ignore him by fingering the Odin materia in his pocket.

_Do you wish for me to crush these mortals? _The stone asked.

_No, not yet. I want to do that myself. _He answered back, as if it were perfectly normal to talk to summon spirits.

"No, I think chocobo-head's gonna squawk, like a baby!" One of the other cronies puffed out his lips and made a ridiculous face, earning a few laughs. Fletcher himself slung an arm around Cloud's shoulder, but unlike Zack, it was anything but friendly and comforting.

"Come on, the other guys are starting a bet to see who fucks up with materia first. My bet's of course, on you, the little chick." Fletcher breathed in Cloud's ear and he desperately wished he'd asked Zack how to flip someone over his shoulder.

"Remove your arm," Was all he said. Saying anything more to a bully would just give him what he wanted and Cloud had enough of that. Said arm merely tightened a little and was not going away. This was starting to get bad, but the only consolation was that practice started in 15 minutes and he could easily get away to that.

"Why should I listen to you? You gonna do what, singe my eyebrows off? I've heard of you. Last year you were in this program and you sucked as much as any loser would. Just cause you're sponsored by a SOLDIER doesn't mean you get to have a big head about everything," He sneered.

"I don't! I-" Cloud bit off the rest of the sentence but the damage had been done. He'd shown he was angry about that statement. The arm tightened so he was almost strangling the smaller cadet.

"Sure you don't. But a runt like you ain't going to get far, no matter how many SOLDIERs he….convinces." Fletcher laughed and he and his buddies took off, leaving Cloud in the dust. What the hell had they meant by that? Did they mean…

_Oh, for the love of the Goddess, they did not. _If Fletcher had been doing anything about implying he bribed Zack of all people to take him on, there was going to be hell to pay. How _dare _they sully Zack's name with that! He didn't even care that they thought he was too weak he'd resort to something low-handed like that. Zack would never do anything like take a bribe, and being so nice to offer him such a good chance to regain his ground, Zack, who was so noble to keep going on to save his friends despite all the trauma he'd been put through, Zack, the man who embodied the honor of SOLDIER…

**_How dare they._**

* * *

He arrived at materia screening, as they called it, led by an extremely irate SOLDIER-and a supervising scientist-who seemed to want to be anywhere but here. There was a table set up in the middle of the room with an iron box, filled with gently glowing green orbs. They were the materia they were going to be working with, and if he remembered correctly, none of them were past level one.

_Well at least, I might avoid another Firaga incident, _Cloud thought to himself, still burning with anger. He was dearly glad that he'd unequipped the summon materia he had earlier-in his emotional state, instead of casting the magic he was supposed to, he might've accidentally summoned Odin and that would've been messy, to say the least.

"All right, you ingrates line up down here! I know some of you are here again from last year, but I don't care!" The SOLDIER yelled like a drill sergeant. "You're all getting the same talk, because materia is a precious resource that is not to be wasted on idiots like you!"

Turning sharply towards the box, the third class pulled out a two of the stones and held them in each hand. "Now, I don't expect or care if you know this, but this is what materia looks like! Green is attack and elemental, purple means support, yellow means extra abilities, and red are summons!"

After each one was announced, the SOLDIER pulled out another stone to showcase each different type, except for the summons. Which was understandable, seeing how they were rare, powerful, and hard to control. The Odin materia trembled in his pocket, but Cloud ignored it for now.

"Green is the most common, and the stuff you're going to be tested with today! The others will only be used if you idiots ever make it into the SOLDIER program, and don't even think about summons!" Their teacher yelled having been in front of the blonde cadet, and Cloud involuntarily jumped. Fletcher snickered somewhere down the line and all of his anger came rushing back. He could sense the materia calmly waiting to be unleashed in the crate, which was starting to worry him. He'd always been aware of the stones in a way few others seemed to be, but recently it had gotten worse. _Add that one to the list of things that are wrong with me…I need to focus. _

And focus he did, since the SOLDIER began handing out a single green materia to each of them, and bracers to anyone stupid enough to not bring theirs. That was a thing he had to actually thank Angeal for. After Zack let him keep the Fire materia, the older man had given him a spare bracer that no longer fit him, though it was pretty big on Cloud's wrist.

He slotted the materia into his bracer easily, secretly laughing at how some of the others struggled. So much for all their bad talk. Times really had changed since last year, when he'd been doing the exact same thing. When he was just as bad…now Cloud felt terrible for laughing.

"You all have it equipped? GOOD. Maybe not all of you are hopeless! The principle to casting materia is to focus your body's energy into the materia and visualize what it is you want to happen! It is essentially grabbing energy and pushing it outward. Most of you will get nothing more than a few sparks or flares, but power is not the point." He stopped right in front of Cloud again and yelled in his face. "The POINT IS TO MAKE IT WORK. That is what today is for."

Cloud had frozen up when the man had stopped in front of him, and then slowly relaxed, breathing out. Was the SOLDIER just picking on him for no reason, or was he just that unlucky? Probably both. Last year he knew the reason they were attempting materia this early was to see if any of them were significant casters and note it down in their profiles, and practice for the tests. _Now to see if the safe monster incident was really a fluke or no_t.

Their instructor informed them they were to cast out, _away _from each other, and see if they could produce any results, which, he repeated, he doubted they actually could. The casting part was easy for Cloud as he'd done it against the safe monster several times and Zack had showed him in the cave. But he was nervous and nervous was never good in combination with magic.

He looked over at the line and most everyone else was attempting to cast, but not getting anything much more than a few sparks or a puff of icy air. They'd all been given low-level elementals-no Earth materia, definitely-to work with. A couple of them managed to actually produce a low-level result, and he could hear the scientist scribbling away over in the corner.

He sighed and looked down at his own materia. Cloud couldn't do anything that outrageous for fear of the Science Department, but it had to be something to impress the other cadets enough. He'd gotten a Blizzard materia this time so at least no giant fireballs.

He concentrated, sensing the materia and focusing on unleashing its power. _You're only a level one? Show me what you've got. _

Cloud opened his eyes and and thrust out his hand, a shimmering crystal appeared in the air and shattered, scattering flakes of ice downward. A nice Blizzard spell. He glanced sideways and started when he realized all the other cadets were staring at him.

"…What?" He said, far too innocently. Sure, he was expecting some sort of reaction, but nothing like this. Fletcher was giving him a murderous glare from across the room, interrupted by the SOLDIER instructor quickly rushing over.

"Well, it looks like one of you has brains after all. That was a perfectly executed Blizzard spell, cadet!" The SOLDIER was still yelling, but at least he was being nice about it now. "What's your name?"

"Cloud Strife, sir," He said, trying his very best to not smirk. The SOLDIER turned back to the rest of the company.

"Well, it seems Cloud Strife here has accomplished what the rest of you could not: actually being competent at something! I hope the rest of you can follow this example!" He stalked off down the line. Fletcher was now staring daggers into Cloud's face and he couldn't help it. He smiled and winked, much as he'd seen Reno do a thousand times. _That's what you get for thinking I bribed my way in. _

He was surprised the other cadet didn't explode on the spot, given how angry he was but Cloud just turned away before he could get himself into any more trouble. This was probably a terrible idea, antagonizing him, but he was sick and tired of being the one bullied. It felt good to get back at him.

His success had somehow actually inspired the other cadets who weren't pissed off at him and a few more of them got better results for their effort. Cloud on the other hand, just practiced trying spells. Casting was no problem anymore-it never really was after the first one-but he was having trouble controlling the strength: he'd either push it out in a quick burst, or the spell would sputter out too soon. His endurance was terrible, too, and it wasn't just from his aching muscles; he could only cast a few low level blizzard spells before his energy began to lag. _Just like in sword fighting…_

Well, at least this was one class he was better than everyone else.

Eventually, the shouting SOLDIER wrapped up the class, saying he'd seen enough and that maybe not all of them were hopeless losers. He went to confer with the scientist in the corner, ignoring the cadets and a sudden chill crept into Cloud's stomach.

He turned around and sure enough, Fletcher and his merry band were creeping up on him, materia still equipped. _Okay, really, really not good. _Cloud backed away involuntarily, only causing them to smirk and shuffle a bit quicker.

"So maybe we were wrong about you, chocobo," Fletcher hissed, as if that was supposed to insult him. He was more wary of the tone of voice than anything else. "Anything else you want to show off?"

Cloud didn't say anything. He really couldn't. All he had was a blizzard materia-_no, not you Odin!-_on his side.

"The guy's distracted. You don't mind if we borrow you for a little practice, do you?" Fletcher grinned, and Cloud knew he was in huge trouble.

* * *

_The story of the Demon of Chaos and Sin is very strange indeed. I tried reading it to my son once, but he got so scared, he slept with the lights on for a week. In reality, I wonder if it is truly a story at all. In other accounts, I have heard mention of a life-form known as Chaos, created as a herald to something called Omega. Born of chaos and sin, much like the story describes him. _

_I wonder then, if this creature exists and where it ended up. These stories in the back of the book don't seem to be stories at all, but rather descriptions of characters. They don't seem to be from any story I have read, so either it has been lost to time, or they are characters in a tale yet to be told._

_- The Demon of Chaos and Sin_

_from the files of Uther Strife_


End file.
